Countdown
by Sensou to Heiwa
Summary: Youko's time is almost up. Time for what? It most certainly isn't her life. Can Kanda help her in time? Or will it run out? KandaXOC You may have time, but they don't...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Alright! First D. Gray-man FanFic! My OC Shirogane Youko (Last, First) Means (In that order) Silver Sunlight**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own -man, if I did then, I wouldn't be writing this right now would I?**

**Countdown**

**Chapter One**

There she sat in the most cluttered and unorganized office she had ever seen. Of course she had never really been in an office like this, but she was positive that they would be cleanlier than this one. Papers spread across the floor, almost reaching her knees. Usually this would bother her, but she sat there watching the flustered man sift through papers with a polite smile. She smoothed out her charcoal skirt and straightened her new jacket that she had received from the order; her new uniform. It rested overtop of her black corset and hid the slightly puffed shoulders. Her glasses slid down the bridge of her nose so she gently pushed them back up to cover her dark blue eyes, never removing her gaze from the man named Komui. She had just met the man about ten minutes ago, and she already thought of him as a friend. He held his light blue coffee cup with a pink bunny caught her attention as he lifted it off of some unattended folders. She had felt a little uncomfortable after meeting Hevlaska for the first time and now seeing him in a discombobulated position Youko was at ease. _'At least not everyone is creepy…' _she thought. Youko Shirogane was a very quiet eighteen year-old so she didn't speak until Komui had spoken to her.

"**So, you said that you have had your Innocence since you could remember?"**

"**I didn't even know what it was. I thought that I was just different, that's why they found me alone. It was so I wouldn't harm anyone,"** she referred to the finders that had been sent to get her.

They had heard of someone defeating akuma in a small town west of the headquarters that was not an exorcist of theirs so they decided to see who it was. Youko had never known about such an organization that helped people with her kind of abilities. She had lived secluded from society because of two reasons. One: She didn't want to harm anyone with her power. Two: She had her own personal mission to do. But we'll get more into that later. Komui jumped up with an empty folder and screamed that he found what he was looking for. _'It took him fifteen minutes to find an empty folder… with nothing in it… at all… Oh shit…'_ Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard people walk into the cluttered workplace.

"**Oh, these will be your new teammates. Kanda is away on a mission now, but he'll be back later," **Komui explained creating a profile for the new member.

"**I'm Lenalee, **_'__great__ peppiness…' _**this is Lavi, **_'…baseball fetish?'(Strike! Strike! Strike!) _**And this is Allen,**_ 'seems a little too young.'_**"**

"**I'm Youko Shirogane. It's nice to meet you," **she smiled a little bigger for them to see across the sea of parchment.

"**It's a pleasure to meet you Youko," **Lavi exclaimed rushing to her side in less than a second.

Allen and Lenalee were at Komui's desk and chatting a little while he finished off the new exorcists' papers. He slammed them in a drawer with a plethora of others and all she could think was _'never gonna see that again, heh.'_ She had sat there uncomfortably while Lavi grabbed her hands in his _trying_ to flirt with her. She just laughed and talked with him, hoping to make a good first impression. Her straight black hair that went to her lower back caught the other young girls' attention and she went behind her to play with her strands.

"**You have great hair Youko-chan!" **_'Yeah, way too peppy…'_

"**What is you Innocence type?" **Allen blurted out, not wanting to wait to get unasked questions answered.

"**Uh- Equipment,"** she answered as quickly as possible, having to go back and remember what Komui had told her about her innocence.

"**Really?"**

Youko nodded and pointed at her dark choker around her neck with a single white jewel in the center, after freeing herself from Lavi's grasp.

"**Now that everything is settled, will you take Youko-chan to her room and show her around?" **the packrat gentleman asked the group that was now partially suffocating the new member.

"**Hai!" **Lavi yelled.

The group practically dragged her out of the office and down the hallways. She waved at people and smiled as she saw them and they did the same, only with a touch of pity on their faces; the new girl getting pushed around and over-complimented by the other energetic exorcists. It happened with every one of them and you would think that they would stop and help her, but it was Lenalee and once she said she would do something she would do it. They showed her the front hall, where she had entered with the finders earlier, and the cafeteria. Jerry seemed nice to talk to, and Allen didn't even wait to order everything he had to offer. She was getting introduced to the entire Science Department and they were now in the library when Lenalee shouted out of nowhere.

"**Who is this?" **A new voice asked.

Youko had her head down and was holding her glasses on her face with her right hand letting the other rest at her side. She new perfectly well what was going on around her, well the most important part anyway. There was a sword shoved in her face. She looked up at the new man with an expressionless face. Both of her hands were at her side now, waiting for the man to say something else. He stared at her for a moment with an aggravated expression then lowered his sword.

"**Be not deceived with the first appearance of things, for show is not substance," **Youko said calmly looking deep into the others eyes.

The room grew (if possible) quieter. Half of the audience watching Youko the other the nameless man. After a while, she wanted to make sure that he understood.

"**Rethinking are you? My comment must have made you second guess yourself, seeing as how you presumed that I was an intruder and almost commenced a battle with me. You have judged me on appearance and from that information you decided to attack. I assure you that if I was a trespasser that would have been a very strategic action, but since I am here as your new comrade I will not battle against you unless necessary, Kanda."**

Lavi's mouth was gaped open, unable to comprehend what had just happened. A moment ago, Youko was cheery and smiling. Now she had a cold expression and no tone in her voice. Youko could be ruthlessly serious at times, like him. She had promised herself that she wouldn't show this to her new team on her first day but this man had presented her with a perfect opportunity to teach a life lesson. He smirked at the teen and sheathed his sword as her lips now presented a sinister like grin. Allen stood in the background twitching from the uncomforting moment. Kanda examined the young woman again, this time taking in every aspect of her. To the shine on her dark boots to the lock of hair that curled up to the corner of her lips, contrasting from her straight hairstyle. She did the same, investigating the man before her with a keen eye. From the speck of dirt on the edge of his cloak, undoubtedly from his mission, to the dark eyes that pierced through her skull. At the same time they bowed and Kanda went on his way and Youko turned her back to his in one fluid motion.

"**I-I'm sorry about that. Yu can be-" **Lavi was cut off by the daring teenager.

"**No need to apologize. He seems very interesting. We are on peaceful terms."**

"**What terms? They hardly talked?" **Lavi whispered to Allen who just shrugged.

'_He seems like the only sane person here…' _Youko's smile returned and she turned to the others. Lavi cringed under her gaze not wanting to have anything to do with such a tension filled moment such as that one.

"**Will you show me the gardens next?" **she asked cheerfully.

"**H-Hai. This way," **Allen motioned.

She followed them out to the gardens and Kanda watched her leave from down the hall. She was one of the most interesting people he had met. And quite intelligent at that. He felt sorry for her that she had to travel with that small annoying group for the day. Once she was out of sight he trudged to the cafeteria in need of a decent meal.

* * *

"**This place is beautiful!" **Youko exclaimed as she spun around in the flourishing garden.

There was a large pond off to the right surrounded by large trees and flowers of different colors. She glanced back at the building and almost fainted from shock.

"**I never noticed how large this place was."**

"**It's kind of creepy when it's dark. No one ever comes out of their rooms at night so it's almost like it's empty," **Lenalee spoke, mostly from experience.

"**Really?" **Youko seemed interested in that fact.

'_Perfect,' _she thought to herself as she looked around her new home once again. It was starting to get late and the sun was staring to set. Allen said that it was probably time for dinner but seeing as how he's always hungry; it was always a meal time. When they entered the cafeteria, there he was. Kanda Yu sitting alone eating Soba like any other day. The new member couldn't help but look over at him a few times while waiting for her Gyokuro (High Grade Japanese Tea). She walked over to his table alone, the others a little nervous to follow. No one sat with him because he would usually send you a death glare, or-if you were lucky- he just wouldn't say anything. She sat across from him and inhaled the scent of her tea. They sat in silence until Kanda's curiosity sparked.

"**You know my name. Whom should I address you as?"**

"**I cannot order you to address me as such, but I'm Shirogane Youko," **she replied taking a sip of her tea.

They were silent again. Kanda had long finished his meal and was just glaring at the woman that sat across from him, her doing the same only looking away to drink her tea. The group that Youko had been traveling with came over but stayed at least a foot away from the table. Lavi, as daring as he was, patted Kanda on the back and he looked as if he was ready to kill.

"**Yu, you've already met Youko. She's new here!"**

"**Well noted," **Youko added sarcastically.

Lenalee grabbed her arm and started to tug her to the exit, leaving the half full glass and Kanda at the table. Allen and Lavi stayed and took a seat at the table. The sound of Kanda's tongue clicking with annoyance reached Youko's ears. This was certainly going to be an interesting stay. Not that she had much more time left. Don't misunderstand, Youko is in a perfectly healthy condition and isn't planning on dying anytime soon, but she wasn't going to stay around as long as the others thought she was. But that was all pushed aside for the moment as Lenalee pulled her up the stairs and to a dark wood door.

"**My room is right over there," **she pointed to a similar door on the other side of the hall.

"**This is your room. I can help you get settled."**

They opened the door and Youko could just make out a single person bed, something that resembled a wardrobe, a desk or table, and a simple chair-even though it was difficult to see in the lighting. Lenalee walked in and pulled out a match from her skirt pocket and lit a candle no the desk.

"**It's not much, but we hardly have time to stay in our rooms."**

Youko sat down on the bed, hoping that she wouldn't ask anything personal. And thank heavens she didn't, but she did ask if she had any personal belongings. The new exorcist giggled as she remembered her past, leaving everything behind so that she could live on her own.

"**I have no personal items. Just what I'm wearing."**

"**What!?"**

Youko slid back against the wall, scared that the girl in front of her was about to explode from whatever emotion she had right then. She paced the room tapping her finger on her chin as she went. It was starting to get darker and the light from the candle looked brighter than it had a few minutes ago. Youko finally lied and said that she was tired. So the confused girl left her alone for the night. But did the newbie stay in her room? No, why on earth would you think that. After she made sure that Lenalee had gone to sleep for the night, Youko walked to the gardens. Allen and Lavi almost saw her, but she hid behind a corner just in time. She had began to wonder what they had talked to Kanda about after she left… not that she worried that it was about her.

* * *

Kanda was still fuming from Lavi hitting him in the back. Did he want to kill him? Yeah. That's all he had to say about that subject. Allen sat where the new girl had just left with Lenalee. Her tea was rippling from the movements that they made. Kanda started to leave after a moment of annoyance from the two but Allen stopped him before he could go any further than two inches.

"**What are your thoughts on Youko?"**

"**Ch," **was his only reply as always.

"**I think she's hot," **Lavi said leaning forward to rest his head on his arms.

Kanda froze a little at this. Lavi was _very_ straight forward with his feelings.

"**I'm only asking because of that little 'chat' in the library."**

"**If you could call it that," **Lavi snickered.

The only thing that Kanda had said at that time was 'Who is this'. She had given him a lecture right then and there without even cracking a smile or feeling concern for her own existence with a sword in her face. She was-to him-intriguing. Allen had almost pissed his pants when they first met... but Allen will only tell you that it was dark and that was his only reason for being frightened.

"**What was that even about? Did you guys insult each other or something?"**

"**No," **he answered Lavi.

The red head just sat there looking up at him from his folded arms. Allen hadn't said much about the new girl and was actually listening to how much Lavi had been talking about her. His comments on her figure were bold, and Kanda was sure that if she heard any of them she would be offended enough to kick his ass, and if not that at least confuse him with another moral. He smiled as the sun went down and orange light came through the tinted windows of the room. Everyone had left except for them and Kanda was going to leave the two idiots alone to there comments about Youko. He was certainly not going to take part in that. He made his way to his normal spot for the evening, where no one would bother him with their presence, the garden.

* * *

After sneaking out of the building for the first time-and certainly not that last- she slinked through the trees and bushes until she saw the pond from earlier that day. The black sky reflected off of the water, showing the stars above. They sky was clear, that was a good part about being located so high in the air. A noise startled her so she turned quickly, fists clenched in case she had to do some major ass kicking. But it was only Kanda, so she crossed her arms and returned her attention to her surroundings. She could not stop Kanda from coming here, she didn't control him. But it would have been nice to have this place all to herself. Little did she know, he was thinking the same thing.

"**You should be asleep," **she said, remembering the fact that he had just returned from a mission.

"**Ch."**

Youko rolled her eyes, seeing that he was probably a very rude person as opposed to their earlier meetings. Kanda came out of the bushes and sat down on the grass around the pond. He noticed that she wasn't smiling like she had been with the others. Was it him? Did he make her so upset that she didn't dare crack a smile? Why did he even care? Kanda always had the same opinion for everyone, he just didn't like them. So what did it matter if she acted different around him?

"**You don't scare me," **she said out of the blue.

Kanda was taken aback by this but it didn't show on his face so she continued.

"**This is my normal façade. I don't show it around others because it gives off the wrong impression. But I can see that you do not care, so I suppose I am free to present it around you."**

He stared at the ground, his normal expression showing… none at all. Youko leaned against a tree and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again he stood in front of her-face to face- but not to close as to startle her. Her glasses slid down again, so that they were looking directly into each others eyes. She cocked up an eyebrow, waiting for him to say something since it looked as if he was.

"**Fine, I'll start. Interests?" **Youko began the small talk.

Both were quick to get to the point, so this was no ordinary conversation. Kanda waited before he spoke, trying to read her expression-which was about as hard as his own.

"**Gardening." **(A/N: That is true. I didn't just pull it out of my ass. In case you were wondering.)

"**So all of this is your doing? I'm very impressed," **she complimented on the greenery around her.

"**And yours?" **he questioned, ignoring her statement.

"**Reading."**

"**Dislikes?" **he questioned since they taking turns interrogating one another.

"**Group related activities."**Kanda responded.

"That and sweets,"

She couldn't think of anything else to ask him. Youko is usually blunt when it comes to getting to know a person so Kanda decided to ask again.

"**Family?"**

The one word that he should have never asked. It even made himself feel awkward. Youko swallowed hard and pushed her glasses up with a smirk. This was getting a little too personal for small talk. She held her head down and stared at her crossed arms, not really wishing to meet his gaze in case he saw something she didn't want him to.

"…**well, your family is none of my business and so mine shouldn't be any part of yours. You should get some rest," **she responded shifting from her spot on the tree to leave.

He was alone like he thought that he would be. But he did feel bad about making her want to leave like that. But it just showed that she had something to hide like him so she couldn't be that harsh. The last comment she made sounded a little rude but he thought that she had the right to be upset or self-conscious about her past just as she thought he would be. Thus she tried to avoid the question all together. It did not matter if anyone knew of her family, she just didn't want to talk about them. They did cower away from her when her power was activated… all except her so-called father that is. He decided to use this power to his advantage. But when Youko refused his offer, he decided to make a little deal and she thought-at the time-that it was a perfect deal. But she was too young then, only fifteen so she didn't really know anything about the subject at the time. And her deciding to live on her own wasn't even for the safety of her family and others. It was so she could try and run from her promise, but she could never do that. Unfortunately she was raised better than that and even though her father had passed on, her aunt made it clear that she was going to hold Youko to her promise. Her father was very precise so he would give her exactly four years to complete her part of their little bargain. But time was running out and she only had exactly one year and five hours left until she had to go back to that hell hole and keep her promise.


	2. Chapter 2

**Countdown**

**Chapter Two**

It was now day two of her stay at the Order and already Youko was trying to escape. Okay, she just needed to escape a certain… someone. AKA Lenalee. This morning she had ambushed her and had even tried to take her shopping. But Youko declined, not politely but she did decline in her own way… Running like hell. Right now she was in the entrance lounge. The couches were empty so she could sit where ever she wanted with a book that she had gotten from the library. She heard footsteps coming at a fast pace so she jumped onto the floor hiding from the person behind the sofa. They suddenly stopped and she lifted her head just enough to look around. She saw a flash of black and went back to her hiding place. Laughter made her look up again to see Lavi above her.

"**What are you doing Youko-chan?"**

"**Well, if you must know. Lenalee said something about shopping so I'm hiding from her," **she laughed at her own situation.

"**But why are you hiding here? Aren't you lonely?"**

"**Hardly anyone comes here so she won't think of this place. Plus if she does, I have a straight shot to the exit," **Youko explained tilting her head to the exit to make sure nothing would block her path.

"**How about I keep you company?"**

"**Um… Sure I was just going to read, but we can talk."**

She took her dark brown book and placed it on a cushion next to her. She looked at Lavi and smiled at his expression. Innocent and harmless; a friendly person. Although him flirting with her yesterday made the moment awkward. They both glanced around looking for a subject to talk about, when Lavi snatched her glasses off of her face. She reached for them but he kept them out of her reach. She gripped his shoulder and lifted herself over him to grab them but still couldn't reach.

"**Give them back!" **she could hardly contain her laughter.

"**No! Can you see me now?" **he said moving farther from her.

"**Yes I can! Now hand them back!"**

"**If you can see without them, why do you need them?" **he asked, humor replaced with curiosity.

"**They make me look professional. I…look younger than I really should," **she pouted.

"**You look very cute," **he blushed placing her glasses on the nearby coffee table.

"**See? I don't want to look cute! I want people to take me seriously."**

"**People just need to know you better."**

She was about to agree but he started to poke her in the side. And of course ticklish people will start to laugh so she did. After a few more minutes of laughing and trying to get him to stop they were interrupted by a loud cough. Kanda was behind them watching the little fight. Youko smiled since Lavi was still there but Kanda just stared at them, giving a death glare to the red-head that greeted him by his first name. Youko stood up and fixed her jacket so that it fit comfortably and reached for her glasses. Lavi saw it and lunged for them before her fingers touched the frames. She huffed and turned to the only one who would probably help her at this point. He glanced at the glasses and then at their owner. A clear, pale, pouting face looked back at him. Her lips were a light pink shade and she was looking up at him through her long eyelashes.

"**Give them back," **he stated coldly.

Lavi then attempted to hand them back but jerked them back several times before she lost patience and kicked him in the shin. After catching her glasses she put them on and turned to thank Kanda who just stood their and watched the entertainment rolling on the floor in pain. Lenalee was watching from around the corner snickering. She had been searching for Youko for about half an hour and had heard the commotion from the cafeteria. Kanda was going to leave for town to pick up something for Komui.

"**Are you going out Kanda-kun?" **she asked after sliding her glasses to their rightful place on the bridge of her nose.

"**How about we join you!?" **Lenalee exclaimed grabbing Youko by the back of her jacket before she could make a run for it.

"**Shit…" **she grumbled reaching behind her to attempt to release the exorcists grip.

"**Ch"**

"**Fine. I'll go. But only to see the guys around this town," **she surrendered.

Lavi jumped up with sad eyes and begged to go too, so of course he had to go. But Kanda was staring at Youko for her comment. The guys around town? Were they even good enough for her? Certainly she would see that when she actually met a few of them. Kanda would have to watch Lavi when they were out. Heaven knows what he would do out in public. Lavi grabbed Youko and ran out the door with her. Kanda started to walk faster to catch up with them but stopped himself seeing how ridiculous he was. Why should he worry? Why did he care again? The truth was he didn't know. But he wasn't about to give into his emotions… whatever the hell they were. But he saw them running toward the end of the walkway and jumped off. He felt his stomach drop as he watched her go out of range. Her scream filled the air and Lenalee just rolled her eyes. Youko had never left the Order before and she didn't really notice how they got there in the first place. After you spend a day or two in that building it's almost like you forget that you're hundreds of feet in the air. Lavi was laughing at her reaction as he lowered them on his hammer. Youko's grip around him was so tight that she couldn't feel her hands anymore. Her eyes slammed shut and peeked open a few times as they descended. Once she realized that they were 'falling' slowly she looked around.

"**Damn it Lavi! Don't scare me like that!"**

"**Don't make me drop you," **he threatened causing her to yelp and cling to him more.

Did he feel bad about scaring her? Yeah, but his plan worked perfectly. She had a firm hold on him and her face in his chest. She had no clue how Lenalee and Kanda got down but she didn't really care at that point. She was just happy that she wasn't flattened on the pavement. A hand grabbed her arm and pulled her to the nearest store. She looked back at the two male friends and mouthed 'help me'. Lavi caught up to her and leaned in to whisper something to her without interfering with Lenalee's rampage.

"**She doesn't have many female friends to do this kind of stuff with. Just humor her a little, huh?"**

"**You've got to be kidding me!?" **she snapped being pushed into a dress store.

A group of young men saw them and headed into the store a few seconds after them. But not without being noticed by Kanda. He casually walked in to see Lenalee already at work with a store clerk and Youko chatting with one of the men from outside. He stood a few feet away listening to their conversation, while hiding behind a rack of clothes.

"**So you're a model? **_**Really**_**?" **he heard her sarcastic tone.

He noticed her brows furrowing. _'This is interesting,' _Kanda thought as he stepped a little closer to see. Youko had her hands on her hips and wasn't even paying any attention to the two women wrapping measuring tape around her waist. After a few more measures and unbelievable information given from the man, she smacked the tape away from her body and glared at the 'model', showing no mercy.

"**I'm sure that there is a woman in town who would gladly go for a model such as yourself. And Lenalee, damn it! When do you think I'm ever going to where a dress?"**

Kanda raised an eyebrow. This _was _interesting. The man stood still, a shocked expression on his features. Kanda hadn't noticed it, but he had walked toward the commotion while he was listening. He was now standing almost in the middle of the entire argument. Youko started to laugh and the clerk had backed away to help another costumer. Youko covered her mouth trying to smother her giggles but to no avail. Lenalee was a little pissed that she couldn't play doll with her like she had spent all night planning and thinking about and you could see the smoke coming from her ears. The man was too busy being practically being suffocated by Kanda's intense stare. Yes he did forget how to breath and Youko only laughed harder watching his façade change colors. From purple to blue and a little hint of red before them. He passed out after a few more seconds and Youko almost joined him, not being able to stop laughing and almost forgetting to breath herself.

"**Thanks… Well, I'm gonna go and see the rest of the town, seeing as how Lenalee probably wants to murder me right now."**

And with that she stepped off of the pedestal and trotted to the door. Kanda glanced down at the man and felt a smirk creep to his face. She was obviously annoyed with the guy and Kanda just saved her… so she should like him right? _'Wait… Why the hell do I care!?'_ Lenalee was partially destroying the store while she stormed out leaving Kanda to be the only conscious person in the room. The clerk had hidden somewhere and during the entire situation all of the costumers had run out of the store. So he was alone… again. He was starting to hate that now. His usual frown sprung out and he started for the door, only to see Youko talking with Lavi walking down the streets. Women were one of Lavi's interests so he would know a lot about them… but he was never successful at keeping one. But Kanda had never really had special feelings for a woman so he had no clue what to do. But why was he thinking about this anyway?

"**Kanda-kun! Why don't you come and join us!?" **he heard her voice call to him.

She had looked back, afraid to see a very upset teen following her. But instead saw Kanda staring at the ground walking slowly. She made Lavi stop and waited for him to catch up. Once he was beside her they started off again, not sharing any glance at all. Lavi started to talk and give her compliments during the stroll and Kanda was starting to get annoyed. He didn't think that it was because of him talking to her non-stop… he thought it was actually hearing his voice… NON-STOP. He reached behind Youko and slapped him in the back of the head. Youko giggled and turned her attention to him for the first time during the night. It was only natural to speak to someone who didn't think he was getting enough attention, right?

"**What about you Kanda? Anything else you would like to share with me?" **she asked, remembering everything he told her last night.

"**Ch"**… the usual.

"**Why are you always so cold Yu?"** Lavi asked rubbing his head from the earlier smack.

"**Oh, just shut up. Don't listen to him," **she encouraged.

"**When do I ever?"**

She had to hold back a laugh at his comment. They showed her around town, and to stores she promised herself she would never shop in. Youko never really thought about the luxuries of life, usually just the necessities. She was promised a mission pretty soon so she didn't really need anything special. She just wanted to make the best of her stay here at the Black Order HQ. Even if it was only for a year.

"**So… do you like going to parties?" **Lavi asked.

"**Um… no. I'm not very good at socializing when it's not an essential priority."**

'_So she's not gonna be very happy when we get back. Heh! ^-^;'_ There was going to be a welcome party for her like they did everyone. Like with Allen, but since she wasn't one for needless socializing it was going to be awkward. _'Well, maybe she could lighten up.'_

"**Is something wrong Lavi?" **she asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"**N-No. Everything's fine; just thinking."**

"**Well, what about? It's going to be a few minutes before we get back."**

They were on their way back to the headquarters… and the party. So, yeah, Lavi pulled out a random topic from the back of his mind. Kanda wasn't paying much attention, but he caught something about a woman's body and then a loud slapping sound was heard with laughter afterwards. Kanda's smirk broke out and a deep chuckle emanated from the back of his throat. The noise made her shiver. It was an enticing sound, one that she could listen to all day without getting the slightest bit annoyed. So the rest of the trip was spent in silence. Kanda had picked up Komui's order-which was in a bag so he couldn't see it-on the way and was shocked at how heavy it was. _'What the hell did he order that was so heavy?"_

* * *

Lenalee had made it back to the Order before the others did and Komui had everything ready for the new exorcists welcome party. And of course he went overboard like he did for everything. An ice sculpture of her was set on one of the tables along with most of the food. Jerry was helping Allen hang up some streamers and Bookman was ordering Reever around like no tomorrow. And Poor Johnny was juggling the decoration boxes. Lenalee had a new coffee cup in her hand specifically for Youko. The entire Headquarters had come even though they thought that Komui _always_ went nuts when it came to things like this. Most of them joked about Lenalee's wedding… if she could ever get married. Allen was nice but it didn't matter who you were. If you were going to marry Lenalee, Komui would probably kill you if he got the chance.

"**Where is everyone?"**

That voice was Youko's, and everyone had stopped talking and stayed quiet until they saw her come into view. At first she just looked them over and kept walking but then her mind registered the situation and she slapped her forehead and looked back at the group to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

"**We officially welcome you to the Black Order Ms. Shirogane!" **Komui exclaimed trying to push his way through the crowd.

"**Thank you… Oh my god, look at the time! I think I'll go to sleep now-thank you!"**

She tried to run off but Allen and Lavi tackled her to the ground after her first step.

"**You know, I don't like being immobilized!" **she screamed trying to push them off of her.

After she got up and brushed herself off, she tried to take off again. But all of the men in the room blocked her way… Even Kanda. _'Shit… I thought he would be the only one to help me…__'_ So with no where else to go, she turned back to the celebration with her lips pulled to a thin line. This was just not her day. She noticed a small puff of hair and looked down to see Bookman with his eyes closed. Taking a step back all she could muster out was an 'uhh'.

"**I hope you find your stay here pleasant."**

She just nodded her head and turned back to Lavi. Who just shrugged his shoulders-with an anime sweat drop flowing down the back of his head.. Bookman always acted like that. It was kind of like – The words he said were kind… But he had no freaking emotion whatsoever. Youko noticed that the line of men was dispersing and Kanda was going in the opposite direction than everyone else. _'Is he leaving? Why is he leaving!?' _she ran over to him and tugged him back into the cafeteria.

"**If I'm going through this so are you," **she whispered so not to upset the people who organized the event.

"**Ch"**

'_Wait… Why did I just do that? He could have left. Why am I controlling him like that?' _she asked herself. But he did follow her. Youko apparently didn't want him to leave, but that was probably only because she didn't like parties and needed some sane person around to chat with. But they hardly ever talked. _'Youko could talk all day… if she wanted. She just chooses not to,' _he thought to himself. Secretly, he liked it when Youko spoke to people. She always talked to others caringly and sweetly. But around him she showed her usual emotions and they were almost like his. How long had she been acting like that? Did it have to do with her past? Like Kanda's? _'She did ignore the family question…'_

"**I'm not sure what's creepier. The fact that I'm having a little bit of fun… **_**or **_**that Lenalee is chipping off my neck," **she said glancing over at the Ice sculpture.

It was a perfect replica of her-no one would have expected less from Komui. Lenalee held a large knife and started pounding at the neck of the crystal statue sending the head to the floor. A forced smile made its way to Youko's face as she started to feel light headed. _'Remind me never to cross her…' _The teen picked it up and beamed over at the two. Even Kanda was a little freaked out by that moment.

"**I think she's just jealous," **Kanda spoke in his normal monotone voice.

"**Why would she be? If she is, someone needs to tell her that that is the dumbest thing-"**

"**Because you might actually have a life outside of this place. She never will."**

"**Why not?"**

"**Have you met her brother…?"**

"**Ah yes… but she still shouldn't be jealous. I may have a chance at a life, but when I get that chance, I promise you it won't be a good one."  
**

He glared at her for a moment. How could she not have a good life? She was kind, witty, beautiful…._ 'Ah! Damn it! Stop Yu!' _he screamed at himself. But that was a good question. That man she met earlier in the shop would have probably made a good husband-for some reason that made his blood boil. At a glance she would have made any father proud to have him wed his daughter. Yet Youko looked very annoyed at the man's personality and she would ask you 'Who wouldn't?'

"**Kanda? Is something wrong? You seem distracted."**

"**No, Youko. I'm enjoying myself," **he answered…the same way he always did.

'_How the hell could I tell? You show no emotion!'_

"**Oh, well. You look tired you should go to sleep. I think I'm going to sneak away anyway," **she winked.

Kanda didn't hesitate. He walked out the door-as fast as he could without anyone noticing-but he unconsciously grabbed her hand and led her out himself. After they were out the door they heard Allen ask where they were… that's when they broke out in a run. Youko didn't want to be there anymore and Kanda didn't want to be there in the first place so they weren't going to risk getting sucked back in. Kanda still had her hand and surprisingly she kept his pace. Running almost side by side they turned a corner sharply. Youko was laughing and for some reason Kanda smiled… and she noticed. _'Oh. Shit.'_ He was hoping she wouldn't see that. But she looked straight at him and blushed so that must have meant that she had. Once they were at her room they noticed that they were still holding hands. She unhooked them and was biting her lower lip, looking for anything different to focus on. But would you try and look at something else except for a tall, mysterious, handsome…_ 'Wait! Youko what are you thinking!?' _(A/N: Déjà vu)

"**I'll see you tomorrow then," **she said reaching for her door handle.

"**Yeah."**

She went wide eyed. That was a very unlikely response from the great Kanda Yu. What happened to the 'Ch' and sometimes complete silence? Maybe he was just really tired and didn't know what he was saying. That was probably it. He started to walk away and Youko watched him leave trying to keep herself from blushing even more than what she was when they were holding hands. _'I'm losing my mind! I don't like him… do I?'_

'_I think I'm going insane. Or at least not feeling well, because my heart is pounding. I'll go and get that checked out later,' _Kanda told himself while walking up the stairs. His floor was above hers and he was on the other side of the staircase, so he could see her every morning and every night.

'_I can't like him.'_

'_I can't like her.'_

* * *

**_A/N: _You guys will find out what Komui got in the next chapter... and it's something pretty obvious. Let's see if you can guess what it is! Review Please!!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Countdown**

**Chapter Three**

"**Thank you Kanda," **Komui said as the exorcist placed the heavy bag on a pile of papers.

The newest member was walking by and heard the loud clunk as the sack hit the table and jumped at the sound. Out of curiosity she slinked in and walked beside of Kanda. He heard her walk in and glanced over at her when she came closer to him. She refused to make eye contact, trying to tell her feelings that they were wrong, but he just kept looking**!** Komui hadn't taken notice to the new presence in the room and raised an eyebrow at her when he looked up from his mess.

"**Oh, I needed to talk to you anyway Youko. I have your first mission!"**

"**Finally… So where am I going?"**

"**Lavi, Kanda, and you will be-"**

"**Uh… I think I would work better alone," **Youko said after seeing Kanda's shocked expression at his words.

"**This is your very first mission, I'm just taking precautions. And you know that your power-"**

He was interrupted by her hand slamming on his desk. She didn't want to sound helpless to Kanda. What would he say if he found out that she was weaker in the daylight than at nightfall? He seemed like someone that would judge a person by their power. Lavi wouldn't care but for some reason Youko cared if Kanda did. Her hand slid away from the man and she took a deep breath.

"**Why can't Allen go with me then? It would be easier to scope out the akuma that way," **she wondered.

'_Is there something wrong with me? Why doesn't she want me to go too?' _Kanda asked himself. His fists were clenched and his teeth were grinding.

"**I want to see if you can find them as easily as him. It just a test~!" **he sang, holding his coffee cup in the air.

"**Oh. That's nice. So I could die, if I don't get this right, huh?"**

"**~Hai~!"**

"**How pleasant," **she whispered to Kanda, who was trying to relax himself a little.

Lavi walked in with Bookman following close behind. He was going to accompany them like he always did, mostly to keep Lavi in check with the women around the town they were going to. His hands were casually placed behind his head and he was whistling a happy tune. Youko rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe that she would be traveling with these two. Didn't Komui trust her? It's not like she would run off or anything. But at the same time she understood where Komui was coming from. Kanda went on several solo missions but he was a lot more experienced with this sort of thing.

"**Good morning Bookman~!" **Youko sang.

She liked Bookman. He wasn't naïve or messy like most of the adults at the Order. Then she looked at her team… Three men and one female… _'You're joking right?' _she glanced at Komui who was just smiling widely. Apparently he saw nothing out of the ordinary, but whenever he sent Lenalee on missions, he would always give the male exorcist a death glare.

"**What's this Komui?" **Lavi asked pointing at the brown bag that Kanda had placed earlier.

"**It's a part for Sir Komlin the 5****th****! There have been rumors that Lenalee is seeing someone so… I'm going to send Sir Komlin to finish him off~! Slowly and painfully…" **he finished with a diabolical tone causing Youko to back away from the man.

He pulled out a large clog from the sack and flashed it to them. It was silver and shiny just like everything he ordered for this kind of stuff. It was about four times larger than a normal clock clog so it made Youko wonder how large the machine was. She had never seen Sir Komlin 4…or 3… or 2… or 1… _'What the hell happened to all of them?' _Komui had always been over protective of Lenalee but Youko thought that he had some self-control. He started to laugh sadistically and Kanda was standing next to him like a statue.

"**Someone put Allen out of his misery **_**now**_**, so he won't have to deal with whatever **_**he's**_** creating," **Youko whispered to the red-head, causing him to chuckle.

Kanda saw this and slapped him in the back of the head. Saying 'pay attention baka.' Komui had started to talk about the mission after his 'I will kill whoever's seeing my little sister' rant and the two hadn't noticed. Bookman was standing just like Kanda; completely silent and frozen in place.

"**As I was saying; there is a large town in Russia that's population in decreasing rapidly. Some have been missing from their families for over two months."**

"**And we suspect that it's the Noah's doing," **Youko finished.

He nodded and sent them on their way, going back to shining his new part for his little 'toy'. Youko stepped out of the office and immediately started laughing with Lavi. Kanda walked past them and started heading for the door with Bookman following. Lavi and Youko were having trouble walking so they were leaning against each other for support. Kanda looked back and saw this and called them to tell them that they were going to keep them behind schedule. Youko straightened up and stifled a few more laughs before calming down. So did Lavi… until they passed Allen in the hall. Snickering was heard from behind Bookman and he yelled back, calling the two imbeciles. Once they got to the end of the path Lavi reached for Youko's waist again to lower them down, but Kanda grabbed her hand and jumped down.

"**T-thank you Kanda-kun," **she stuttered while smoothing her skirt.

Lavi had to come down alone and smirked over at Kanda when she wasn't looking. Did he even like her? Lavi didn't think that Kanda could ever like anyone. But he did notice that he hit him a lot more whenever he was around her… That's gotta be something right? I mean, sure Kanda hits him all the time but it's different when Youko's there. _'He hit harder…' _She started to walk off to the train station where they would ride a train for three days straight. At first Youko thought that it would be fun, talking with different people and her friends. Not that Kanda would say anything. He sat across from her with Bookman and Lavi's shoulder was touching hers. He smiled brightly and grabbed her hand again. _'Not more flirting…' _she groaned to herself.

**(Three days later)**

They were walking down a snow covered road to reach the town with Lavi limping and wrapped in bandages. Youko told him to stop braiding Kanda's hair… but did he listen? _NO_. Bookman was far ahead of the teenagers, probably wanting to escape Lavi's bickering. Youko stood between the two males, wondering why they hell they weren't at the town yet. She was tired and had to get some sleep before she went into battle.

"**Youko-chan~… What's you're anti-akuma weapon called?" **Lavi asked.

"**Kyuuten Teishi," **she replied touching the jewel on her choker.

"**Heaven's Apprentice… It will be fascinating to see it," **Kanda spoke for the first time since they left the train station.

She felt her cheeks get warm at the sound of his voice. _'Why am I blushing?'_

"**Are you alright? You're not getting a cold are you?" **Lavi asked while placing a hand on her forehead.

"**We're almost at the town. You need sleep," **Kanda commented after smacking away Lavi's hand.

She started to walk a little faster so that she would reach Bookman. The two men stood side by side and took turns glaring at each other. Kanda was thankful that Youko couldn't see what he was doing and Lavi didn't seem to care if she was watching or not. Kanda finally looked away and clicked his tongue. Lavi thought that he had given up and looked the other way clenching his jaw as he did so. But then he felt a fist pound into the back of his skull. When he looked at him, Kanda was already close to Youko and Bookman. _'Yep, he's hopelessly falling.' _He thought as he struggled to catch up.

"**It's about time! I think I'm going to collapse," **she exclaimed after seeing the town on topof a snowy hill.

When they walked into the small city, it looked abandoned. There were no children playing in the snow, all of the doors were shut, and the curtains covered the windows. Bookman was darting his eyes from door to door trying to see if anyone would make an attempt t come and speak to them. Youko shivered under her coat, she didn't think that it was the coldness, but the emptiness of the area. She could practically see the ghosts coming through brick walls and haunting her while she slept. Kanda saw the local inn and dragged Youko inside. Her face was flushed darker than before. Why was she doing that? The last time she did, he only spoke. It was different from the grip that they shared last night while running from the welcome party-which Lenalee and Komui were still slightly upset about.

"**I'm fine Kanda. Geez! Are you trying to dislocate my arm?"**

"**But Youko, you're warmer than before," **Lavi said placing the back of his hand on her forehead again.

The next thing she knew, she was being pushed into a room. Bookman sat near the window, Lavi was in a chair next to the bed and Kanda was leaning against the wall. She sat on the edge of the bed switching her focus from person to person. After a moment Bookman said that she should get some sleep but how exactly could she do that with three people staring at her? They were watching her out of worry, but she didn't think so. Thankfully for them Youko was too nice to kick them out without asking them to leave first. And after they declined… That's when she threatened to throw them out of the building. Kanda never said a word during the threats and bickering that Youko and Lavi were sharing. He just stood there watching it all with amusement.

"**Can't at least two of you leave? There are two beds and four of us. Bookman can stay with me and you and Kanda can go somewhere else!"**

"**I wouldn't leave those two alone if I were you Youko. We don't want a bloodbath," **Bookman said standing from his seat.

"**Then how about Lavi stays here? … Never mind," **she recalled all of his flirtatious actions up until they first met.

"**I guess that just leaves you buddy," **Lavi said looking at the silent exorcist on the other side of the room.

"**Then I suppose you two should go to sleep now. We'll take turns scouting after dark," **Youko spoke, holding the door open for the two bookmen.

After they left, she made her way to the window and closed the curtains. She sighed with relief when the darkness consumed her. The light reflecting off of the snow was practically blinding so it was nice to be in the dark for a moment. Kanda was still against the wall and looked as if he was going to fall over any minute. Youko patted the other bed as she passed it.

"**You should go to sleep," **she said as coldly as he would.

"**Ch"**

"**You know, you were very considerate when we were traveling. Why are you being so childish now?"**

"**I am not childish."**

"**Then take a break. Go to sleep. You're going to need it when you shift comes for scouting," **she argued pulling the sheets over her body.

He really couldn't retaliate to that, so he sat back in a chair instead of the second bed. She saw it and mumbled something under her breath that he could only make out 'stubborn' some other words and 'man'. But the words in between were from a very colorful vocabulary. So they fell asleep for about three hours before Youko felt something brush against her nose. Her eyes flittered open and saw a large black blob sitting next to her face. She bolted up and saw Kanda fixing his jacket in the mirror. She took a double take at the blob and saw that it was very friendly. It flew around her head and plopped down on her shoulder. She patted it between the winds and giggled.

"**This is a golem isn't it? It's adorable."**

"**It seems to like you. That's very rare that it shows any affection for someone except me," **he told her, checking to make sure his sword was in its correct place by his side.

The golem started to buzz and flew up in the air next to Kanda. Komui came onto the tiny screen and started to talk to the two. At first all she could hear was the loud crashing and an explosion. _'He must have finished Sir Komlin the 5__th__… heh,' _she worried. Kanda motioned her to come closer so she did so. She kicked off the blankets and walked over looking at the screen to talk to him.

"**I forgot to tell you that mostly women are disappearing from the town, only a few men have gone missing," **Komui said cleaning off his glasses with a rag.

"**Um… In case you haven't noticed… I'm female!" **Youko screamed, very annoyed that he would send her on this mission being the only targeted one.

But he didn't reply, he had left and the golem took back its place on the teens shoulder. It was almost nightfall and Lavi was pounding on the door. Kanda cringed at the noise and looked at the closed curtains. Youko knew that he wasn't going to open the door so she pranced over and let them in. Lavi hugged her as soon as she came into his view and picked her up so she couldn't scramble off. It was getting hard to breath he was crushing her so hard. She sent a pleading look to Bookman who kicked his ass to get him to free her. Then after all was settled they sat in a circle and started to talk about the mission.

"**So they're targeting women? Then that means you're not aloud to leave our sights ~Youko-chan~" **Lavi said winking at the female.

"**Oh, please. I can take care of myself… after dark that is," **she sighed.

After a few seconds of awkward silence and questioning looks she decided to tell them the truth.

"**The thing is; I am weaker in sunlight. That doesn't mean I can't defend myself it just means I'm not **_**as**_** powerful as I could be after dark.** **So it's a good thing that most akuma are practically nocturnal," **she shrugged.

"**Well all that changes is that you can't leave our sights in daylight on this mission," **Lavi countered.

"**Then it's a good thing that its sundown isn't it? So I'll just leave now. You three just rest up for your turns," **she said going to the door.

Kanda grabbed her wrist and stopped her in her tracks. Her brows furrowed and her other hand tried to pry his off of hers.

"**I'll get my full power in about twenty minutes, so it's no big deal!" **she exclaimed as she finally got loose.

And with that she left. Bookman didn't agree or disagree to her reasoning, so she assumed that he thought it would be alright. Lavi just gave in seeing that she was very persistent. The door slammed shut and she walked out the front door into the cold evening air. It seemed quiet and no one had shown their faces in the streets so they must be scared out of their minds. So that would mean that anyone Youko saw outside would probably be the monster. _'But… that seems way too obvious. They may be stupid but I think that they're smarter than that,' _she thought as she trudged in the barren street. The sun was just going down when she heard the sound of metal clashing against each other. She spun around and saw a cat slinking away from some bins. She took a deep breath and turned back to her path telling herself to calm down.

"**It's not nice to walk away," **something called from behind.

She knew that it wasn't a human because the voice sounded too eerie. And the only thing that was even in the street besides her was… '_The cat!'_ Youko pivoted and looked straight into the eyes of a level two akuma. She gasped as it lunged at her giving her almost no time to move. But once she did she got a clearer picture of the enemy. A tall, silver, lanky, demon with two sharp claws per hand. Its head was shaped as an oval with a circle punched through its right cheek and stripes down its chest and left leg. It pinned her against a nearby wall. She tried to reach **Kyuuten **Teishi but her hand was held in its place next to her head. And the sun still had about five minutes left until it was completely out of view. The akuma pulled back slightly and opened its mouth showing what looked like five rows of teeth. Light blue shot out and she could hear the sloshing sound of the water coming towards her. All she could do was shut her eyes and scream but what she screamed shocked even her.

"**Kanda-kun!"**

**(Inn)**

Fifteen minutes after she left, Kanda was still pacing in the room, pushing back the curtains every few minutes to check the light outside. _'It's not going fast enough,' _he thought as he pulled the curtain back harder than he should and let a few more strands of light on the other end of the blinds. Lavi was trying to read and couldn't focus because of the soft thuds that Kanda's boots were making against the floor.

"**Would you just go after her already? God, you're more hopelessly in love than I thought!"**

"**What are you talking about?" **he hissed stalling his pace for a moment.

"**I'm **_**talking about**_** you being in love! Just go and make sure she's alright if you're that worried," **he flipped his hand toward the door.

He growled at him while he opened the door. Kanda couldn't admit how he felt about Youko because he didn't really know. Maybe Lavi was right… _'Whoa that's a change…' _But he followed the small footprints in the snow. Now that he thought about it, she _was_ petite. He was about six feet tall and she was probably about five feet six inches he'd guess. She was in good shape for a woman, and she _did_ keep up with him when they escaped the party. _'Why was I so worried? Youko can take care of herself,' _but his thoughts were interrupted by a scream.

"**Kanda-kun!"**

"**Shit!" **he said as he pulled Mugen from its sheath.

And after that she waited for the cutting and thrashing of the water on her face. She felt some splashes on the side of her face but it was nothing like she thought it would be. Only a few drops made it to her skin, and she slowly opened her eyes to see the back of one of her comrades. Her eyes widened and her hands were finally free. Then after a moment she had realized what just happened. Kanda had taken the hit for her. _'Oh my God!'_

"**Are you alright?" **he asked, but she should really be asking him that question.

"**Yeah," **she said as she moved herself from between the wall and him.

The light was starting to fade and the shadows crept over the buildings and consumed them.

"**It's about time. Kyuuten Teishi!" **she yelled as her finger grazed the jewel on her choker.

A white fog surrounded her hand and Kanda could see the form of a tall staff. She ran her hand down the fog and clasped the center of the rod turning it into an ebony wood. It was smooth and about as tall as her. The wood separated and twisted around the small diamond, cradling it in the center. A bright light glowed and almost blinded the akuma giving Kanda the chance to slip away from it. One of her hands slid up and shadowed the light.

"**I want you to see my face when I defeat you," **she said just above a whisper.

That even made Kanda shivered a little. The tone in her voice was enough to make Bookman show fear. She glared at the demon and lifted her staff so that it blocked the moon's sheen with its own. Then all anyone could see was white, except for Youko who could see her own work. The white that everyone was seeing was actually stars. And they would follow her every command. She could make constellations dance in her wake is she wanted. The akuma had spewed water from its right cheek again and it would destroy anything in its path.

"**Kami no Senshi!" **(Warrior of God)

A soldier rose in front of her. It was sparkling and shining like the stars above, but it wasted no time in attacking. Kanda was so busy watching the scene that he didn't even see other level one akuma coming from behind. Thankfully Lavi and Bookman were getting worried so they came and yes, Lavi saved Kanda's ass. (He won't let him live that down. LOL) The warrior pushed back the flood and slashed through the akuma with its glittering blade. The light reflected off of Youko's glasses so even if Kanda looked straight at her, he still saw the battle in the dark frames. Loud explosions came from the other war behind Kanda but he kept his eyes fixated on the Warrior of God. After he saw that the level two demon was left in pieces from Youko's power he turned to Bookman and saw that there were still two more akuma left on their side. He did what he would normally do. His Hell's Insects destroyed two akuma in one slash. Youko watched his innocence for the first time and was thoroughly impressed.

"**Is that all?" **Youko asked walking back over to Lavi.

"**Yeah, I think so. It's a good thing we came when we did. What was with you Kanda?"**

Kanda's vision was blurring and he felt his body go numb. He had been thrashed around by the earlier attack when he saved Youko. She saw him stumble and caught him before he hit the ground. His arms were bleeding and so were some places on his chest.

"**Ah, damn it! Lavi help me!" **was the last thing he managed to understand before everything went black.

When he woke up, he could make out a shape sitting next to him. The long black hair fell around her shoulders as she stood up and looked out the curtains. He lifted himself up out of the covers but she heard the sheets rustle so she turned around quickly. Her staff lifted up and whacked him on the head. His hand shot up and covered the spot hoping to block the next hit.

"**Go back to sleep. You need the rest."**

"**Ch" **he responded stubbornly pushing the sheets off.

She huffed and hit him again as she sat on the bed parallel to his. He just pushed it away and continued to unravel himself. _'God, she doesn't want me to get up,' _he told himself still trying to get free. She giggled and sat back to watch him struggle.

"**You can thank Bookman. He said that you would try and get out… I wanted to thank you for what you did."**

"**Ch" **… this time succeeding to get free.

Youko shot up and pushed him back down. She was centimeters from his face and was glaring at him. He was just _so_ stubborn. Kanda noticed that her glasses were gone. They had been broken during the fight so she put them on the night stand next to her bed.

"**Our powers are complete opposites. So I promise, if you piss me off that I will give you a fight you will never forget, Yu," **she hissed.

Kanda showed nothing on his façade as usual. But he thought that the way she said his real name with anger was rather… attractive. She smirked as she pulled away, thinking that she had gotten her point across because he stayed in bed. Lavi and Bookman had left to see the other townspeople. If there were any left, at least half of them were akuma. Youko had offered to stay and watch Kanda in his current state so she was always checking outside. She reminded Kanda of himself when she left. But Lavi said that he was in love with her… does that mean she's in love with him? Again, why did he care? _Still_ he didn't know. The sunlight peaked through the blinds and Kanda flinched when it hit his face. Then he remembered the blinding fog that he saw when she battled.

"**Your power is interesting. The fog was very distracting."**

"**That wasn't fog, it was dust," **she sounded annoyed.

Maybe he had struck a nerve. She had seemed very irritated with his presence since he woke up. The only time she seemed the slightest bit happy was when she smirked at him a moment ago. _'I wonder…'_ Kanda sat up again and felt the same hard stick smash against his head, but he still moved. When he was almost completely up she felt a soft smooth hand on his bandaged chest push him back. He fell backwards surprised by her strength… or his weakness. It didn't really matter because since he was a fast healer he would be in perfect condition by morning. _'Ah! This man!' _she screamed internally as she got in his face again.

"**You are really starting to piss me off Yu!"**

"**Just let me move!" **he argued.

"**Why do you want to move?! You need rest!"**

"**I am fine! Leave me alone!"**

"**No! I'm going to make sure you heal! So just shut up!"**

After she screamed that, she felt his lips on hers. She didn't even know who had leaned in first but she did know that they were both surprised. She pulled back and bit her lip. He looked away so that was her cue to leave. Youko walked out of the room without a sound and glanced at the calendar beside of the front desk of the small inn. That morning would be May the sixth. And she would be that much closer to her deadline. All the time she had left, was one year, four months, and twenty-five days.

'_What the hell am I going to do?'_

But in a way, that kiss the two just shared had given her hope. Maybe she _would_ reach the deadline. _'What am I thinking? Kanda wouldn't… he would never… right?'_

**(Morning)**

Kanda's golem fluttered about Youko's head causing her to smack it away out of irritation. The survivors of the attack had already opened up shops on the streets and were pestering them about buying things. But Lavi was busy chatting with Youko and showering her with compliments.

"**I can't believe all of that power comes from one little diamond! I mean-"**

"**Holy shit stop! You've been talking about it since breakfast this morning!"**

Her staff appeared and the same bright dust from that night surrounded the red-head. It picked him up and slammed him onto the ground about seven times before Bookman told them to cut it out. She was stopped in front of a small shop when an elderly man jumped out. He flashed a large Diamond necklace that held at least twenty jewels. He held it to her neck and smiled.

"**Diamonds for the lady?"**

"**No thanks. I can't pull off diamonds."**

Lavi was trying to lift his crippled body off of the ground when he heard that, and he plummeted back down to the snowy path. Kanda raised an eyebrow at the comment but continued walking behind her. Even he didn't know what had happened that night and he could tell that she was feeling awkward. Youko had tensed up when she felt his presence near her. It took all of her strength not to sprint to the train station. She kept telling herself that there was nothing to be freaked out about.

'_Then why do I feel like hyperventilating?!'_


	4. Chapter 4

**Countdown**

**Chapter Four**

So… It had been exactly thirty one days since they had come back from Russia. Youko still didn't know what happened with the kiss. But she didn't really want to find out. And it showed by her actions after they returned and even during the trip back. Youko sat as far away from him as possible, didn't make eye contact, and only responded 'yes' or 'no' questions with nods. Lavi had been a good distraction, he always did the talking. Bookman had even talked for a few minutes on the train; mostly complaining on how terrible the ride was. Kanda stared out the window catching a glimpse of Youko's expression a few times. It looked confused, almost pained. But that was a month ago. And for about fifteen days, whenever he would turn a corner there would be a trail of smoke sprinting away from him. Thankfully it had stopped and now they could talk to each other… when ever Kanda talked that is.

"**Finally…" **Youko sighed as she sat down on the soft grass in the gardens.

It had been rather loud all day. The finders had gotten drunk and were filling up the cafeteria so she didn't get any of her Gyokuro this evening. All she could do was read the same book she had been trying to read all day long. The sun had gone down and she didn't really feel like going back into that hell hole at the moment. She would wait until the intoxicated idiots would fall asleep. She gouged her staff into the ground, letting the white dust fill the air above. Now that there was light, she could read the small, brown, and slightly torn book. The fluffy meadow was pretty comfortable so she rested her back against it. After about five pages a rustling came from the bushes.

"**What is it now?!" **she groaned turning to see the intruder.

She saw the same person she had spent half a month ignoring pushing back a low tree branch. Kanda made his way over to her looking up at the powdery covering above. He knew that she would be here. She didn't like the noise and she was always there at night. In the exact same spot too. Five feet away from the north end of the lake, sitting next to a patch of daisies. Always the same place and never a hair out of place. A smirk replaced her grimace and she returned to her book. He always came when she was there but he would come later. Almost as if he was seeing if she would show up. Not many people knew this, but Kanda opened up around Youko. But it was only because she never judged him. All she would do was nod and say 'I see' just to prove that she was paying just enough attention but wasn't gawking at every sentence he spoke.

"**You seem pissed off…… more so than usual. What's wrong?" **she asked marking her place in the book by bending the corner of the page.

"**Ch"**

"**Oh, yeah. I understand what you mean," **she laughed at her own sarcasm.

"**Lenalee kept trying to talk to me today," **he sighed, knowing he would never hear the end of it so he sat down beside her.

"**She talks to you all the time. What makes today any more annoying?"**

He was just silent. Would she do the same thing that the annoying teen did? There was a possibility. He had known her for over a month and knew her better than anyone else did. She was still a girl and did in fact have her moments where she could easily be mistaken with Komui personality wise. She leaned closer and practically begged without even moving her lips. Kanda had figured out that, with her, eyes told everything. The two puppy eyes bored into his own, telling him that she would cry is he didn't speak. _'Damn it,' _he smirked. Youko either mistook it as a smile or just like seeing him respond facially in any way because she beamed at him. She seemed different this time-to him. He shrugged it off thinking that it was just the bright light of her innocence making her appear different. A hand waved in front of his nose fingertips just skimming his line of vision.

"**Earth-to-Kanda. So why did you find today more **_**maddening**_** than most?" **she giggled.

His ears rang at that noise. It seamed to echo throughout his mind for hours after she laughed. It was a light sound, noticeable but not uncontrolled like most peoples *cough cough-Lavi-cough cough*. It almost made him mad if he didn't hear it at least once a day luckily she laughed easily around the Order… _'I guess I should thank that idiot for that' _he grimaced, remembering the red-head whom he despised. Youko had given up a little and was resting on her back again, arms out to her sides with her palms up. Kanda leaned back and was stopped by a rather large tree-which he hadn't even noticed was there. Youko knew what he was doing, and it was starting to upset her a little. He had been staring at her for about five minutes without even telling her about his day. Was it bothering him this much that he would just space off like that?

"**Wait… Oh God. It's your birthday isn't it? Why else would Lenalee be twice as peppy?" **Youko questioned herself.

"**Could you not say it out loud?" **Kanda twitched.

"**Alright. But I feel bad; I didn't even get you a present. Make a wish~" **Youko encouraged as a group of sparkles swarmed around the two.

They stacked into a small column and others swayed at the top. Kanda glanced at it closely and rolled his eyes at the birthday candle. He closed his eyes after waving his hand through the dust to make it disappear and gave the usual response which Youko became a little furious at. She sat up and sat on her knees in front of him leaning in closer so that he would open his eyes. He did in fact feel her presence closer than normal so his eyes voluntarily eased open. The midnight eyes met his and he smirked. _'I can't believe I didn't realize that they were blue…' _If you stared at them long enough, you would feel yourself being pulled into the shadows of her mind. But Kanda tried to avert his gaze somewhere else-like to the grass-but she was so close that he didn't really have any room to move his head.

"**Are you telling me that you're too embarrassed to make a wish on your own birthday?"**

She took the silence as a yes-as she usually does.

"**Fine then. I'll make one with you. Will that be any better?"**

"**Ch"**

"**Just look up, you idiot," **she hissed.

Whenever she did that, he always followed orders. She could be intimidating when she wanted to be that was for sure. A bright light flashed before his eyes and was heading west. Kanda let out a small 'humph' and rested his hands behind his head.

"**Did you make one?" **she asked, placing her hands behind her head as well.

"**I did. Now what?"**

"**Well, if you asked for something to happen, then go and attempt it. Everything will turn out like you wanted," **she beamed.

'_I highly doubt that,' _he thought, remembering the reaction to his first move back in Russia. Yes, he was the one that moved and he would never forget her reaction. Truthfully it pained him. He didn't want to go through that again; he couldn't handle the feeling of rejection. She seemed more at ease being around him lately so he didn't want a repeat of any of that. He felt depressed more than usual when she ignored him, and he didn't know why. Speaking with Lavi was definitely out of the question. No way in hell that he would admit something so personal to that red-head. Lenalee would make a bigger deal out of it than what would be necessary and Allen… well Allen didn't seem to know anything more than Kanda. Lenalee would usually talk about how dense he was behind his back. Kanda could still remember what Youko's comment was about that. _'Actually, I think that calling someone dense is a good thing. __It means that you have so much information crammed into your mind… but that's just my opinion.'_ He knew… he knew that he was doing it again.

"**So I should… endeavor whatever I wished for?" **he asked deciding against everything his mind was screaming at him.

"**Yes! So what are you going to do now?"**

"**Apologize… for what happened in Russia," **Kanda sighed.

"**Uh-you don't have to do that. I think that it was my fault-I got a little too close," **she rushed, standing to grab her staff.

In the back of his mind he knew this would happen. She would always do this when she got nervous. It was like running away came naturally to her. He stood up and followed her through the trees-she was almost running. But he caught up to her, even cut her off. Youko stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the grass. Her eyes darted back and forth to her shoes and then to his. But she could sense him glaring at her like she did something wrong. She knew that she did. It wasn't very polite to run away from someone who's trying to apologize. They were still deep in the garden so she knew that it would be useless to try and run now. _'Damn it… Why does this have to happen to me?' _she thought as she fought the urge to look up. The ebony staff was gone now, and she didn't have anything to detain him with. He would stop her before she could reach her choker-so retrieving her weapon wasn't an option. Even she knew that Kanda was physically stronger and she couldn't just punch him out of the blue… if it helped her or not. Today had been like hell but now it was like hell times seven. (Yeah, she felt that bad) None of this was supposed to happen. _'I was just starting to forget about that… I think' _but that wasn't true, she had been thinking about the Russia mission since they got back nonstop. That was why she ran away from him for about two weeks. It was embarrassing and she was positive that it put a strain on their relationship.

"**It's late. I should get to sleep," **she said trying to pass.

"**I know you better. People practically have to strap you down just to relax."**

'_Shit! Why does he know that?!'_

"**Maybe I'm tired. I don't want to deal with this at the moment."**

"… **Then you lied," **he smirked.

"**I never lie! You know that."**

"**But you said that whatever I wished for would turn out like I wanted. I want you to forgive me."**

"**There is nothing to forgive. If anything I should be the one apologizing. I know that I was the last person you wanted to kiss so-"**

"**You need to stop lying. It will become a habit."**

"**How the hell am I lying? How was what I just said a lie?!" **she asked… now extremely pissed off that he cut her off.

Her head bolted up and she slid her glasses back up the bridge of her nose. To her disbelief Kanda was still blank. She truthfully knew that it would be that way, but for some reason she thought that just maybe he would at least look surprised. He turned around so that his back was facing her. And of course that made her-if even possible-more pissed off. She grabbed his shoulder and twirled him around and looked over her eyeglasses, giving him an awful glare. In Kanda's opinion you could cut the tension with a knife, but he refused to let his uncomfortable expression break through. All Youko could think was, _'How cold is this man? Ah hell! I only have… One year, three months, and twenty four days left! I don't need to waste it on one man!... No matter how much I want to,' _she scolded herself for trying so hard. She did wasn't to keep her promise to her father… that damn vow that she took when she was young. It was harder to find a suitor than she thought it would be. Of course having Innocence without knowing it and training every night since she left her home was a bit of a turn off to most men.

"**It doesn't matter right now. I'm asking Komui for a transfer. Maybe the Asian branch will be more helpful to me," **she muttered.

"**How will the Asian branch be helpful? Do you have your own personal quest?" **he asked, showing his hatred for her plan.

"**Yes, and at first I thought that you could help me. But I see now that that was a stupid assumption," **she scoffed.

"**Usually people just ask when they need help."**

"**Well this isn't something I could just ask you. Besides I'm running out of time," **she told, making her way around him and toward the tall building.

The drunks were probably passed out by now and that meant she could walk by the cafeteria without getting whistled at. Kanda followed her pressuring her to tell him what she needed help with. At the moment she was wondering if she even wanted any help. Surely her other option was perfectly fine. _'This world is turning into hell anyway.' _All the while the other exorcist was by her side trying to meet her gaze which was impossible because she looked as if she would trample anything in her path. Kanda couldn't understand why she couldn't just ask him for help. She would ask Lavi and Allen for everything… and Lenalee too. But he was more concerned about the other two. He stopped in front of her deciding to take his chances. He was standing in a doorway that he assumed was hers. She huffed and crossed her arms at his movement. But on the inside she was beaming.

"**I want you to tell me what you need me to do," **he ordered.

"**You want to help me? **_**Alright then! **_**Will you marry me?!"**

He froze at the question. Was this what she needed to do for her quest? _'That doesn't seem like her at all.'_

"**I didn't think so. Now, good night."**

She closed the door between them. _'Wait, isn't this her room?' _Kanda asked looking around. He saw his bed in the corner and the lotus flower encased in an hourglass sitting in the moonlight that shown through the window. He was in his room but he was positive that he had stopped her from walking into _her_ room.

"**Damn it, she's good," **he grinned as he made his way over to the lotus flower.

In the month that he had known her, not one petal had fallen off of the flower. And usually he would just wait in his room after missions and watch for it to wilt. He had even felt-dare he say it-happier with her in the Order. But at the moment he felt like shit. Would Youko really leave for Asia? That didn't sound like her at all. In fact tonight was like she wasn't even Youko. But the thing that was keeping Kanda guessing was why would Youko need to marry to fulfill her personal quest? The new exorcist did seem serious when she told him so why was it so hard to believe. Kanda knew her better than anyone. Lavi would spend a few hours with her a day, but he would mostly flirt and Youko told him that it annoyed the hell out of her most of the time. Allen and her would joke around in the cafeteria and they even went on small missions together and each one they would come back smiling. Kanda would know since he waited for her at the gates when they did leave somewhere together. Every time he would feel something in the pit of his stomach but he was too stubborn to admit it was jealousy.

"**I would have said yes," **he told himself as he sat down on his bed, but was unable to sleep that entire night.

* * *

It was about four in the morning when Kanda heard her door swing open. He had been waiting for about two hours; he honestly thought that she would be up earlier. Or maybe she wasn't serious about what she said last night. Kanda sure as hell wasn't about to take any chances. So he followed her to Komui's office and waited around the corner to listen to conversation.

"**A transfer?"**

"**Yes, I think I would be of more use in the Asian Branch," **the sentence seemed like an arrow through his chest.

Komui saw Kanda's cloak in the doorway and-like everyone else in the Order- had known about their relationship. And of course neither of them would admit it. Komui was a nice guy but the next thing he said would make Youko hate him for a-long-while.

"**You are a dumb ass~," **he smiled.

"**Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. But I really don't think I can accomplish what I need to here," **she smirked.

That wasn't really the reaction that Komui thought he would get form her. But she seemed as though this was the most serious thing in her life at the moment. _'What the hell did he say to her to make her act like this?' _he asked himself while looking back at the doorway. Kanda was clenching his fists, hard enough to almost bring blood. _'So she was serious…' _He peered around the door and met Komui's gaze. It was almost like a silent plea-even if he never admitted it. He got the message and looked back at Youko before she could see who she was looking at.

"**I'm sorry Youko, but I have several missions that I would like you to finish. I'm afraid it will take months to finish them all," **he grinned.

The air around Youko turned dark and you could almost see the heat coming off of her. _'~OH SHIT~!' _and then the next thing you could here was screaming and Komui asking her to stop throwing things at him. It wasn't hard to find a pile of papers that weighed about seventy pounds in his office. Maybe now he'll clean up a little. She stormed out of the room and Kanda had long walked to the cafeteria as an alibi and an excuse for not helping Komui. He sat at his normal table and was eating his breakfast by the time she sat down with her usual tea glass. Jerry had even given her, her own customized glass since she would only drink tea. He had never actually seen her eat anything except for an orange that she had for breakfast on the train on the Russia mission. Every time he'd bring up that mission he would flash back to the kiss. It was his fault but he felt guilty that she wouldn't believe it. He read the glass like he did every morning. He would inwardly smile at the message saying that it fit her personality perfectly.

'_Delightfully Bitchy…'_

"**Oi! Youko-chan~, I heard that you wanted to transfer," **Lavi whined as he came up from behind her and rested his head on her shoulder.

"**I'm not leaving. I am staying right here. Isn't that right Yu," **she scowled.

'_I'm in deep shit now,' _he told himself. She only said his name when she was angry and that night she would probably have ripped his throat out if she had gotten the chance. He simply nodded in her direction and silently hissed over at the red-head that was now sitting a little too close to her for his liking. Allen had joined the table with Lenalee by his side. Allen had everything Jerry had to offer as usual and Lenalee seemed especially clingy today. Youko raised her eyebrow at his façade-that he didn't even know that he let slip through. _'Jealousy? No, I need to stop thinking that he's jealous every single time he lets something slip!' _she yelled at herself, pushing Lavi away a few centimeters for breathing room.

"**After breakfast, Komui needs to see you two," **Lenalee told Kanda and Youko-who seemed to burst into flames at the sound of his name.

Youko slammed her cup on the table and rose from her seat, causing the entire cafeteria to clear a way for her. Even Buzz, the biggest person there, cowered in her presence at the time. Kanda sighed and followed a good five feet behind her. Everything was perfectly fine until she opened the doors to his office….

"**Komui? What the hell is going on?!" **she asked seeing that his office was completely spotless.

The floors were a dark blue carpet and his desk looked like it was sparkling. Kanda's jaw almost dropped to the floor at the scene. Let's just say that Komui learned a lesson from Youko's earlier visit. He motioned for them to take a seat on the sofa-which no one had ever seen before. She walked slowly, half expecting that a large man eating bug would pop out of the ground. Kanda walked beside her thinking almost the same thing, but that Komui would turn _into _the bug.

"**I'm sending you two to Italy. You depart immediately," **he said tipping back the last of his coffee.

Youko grabbed the folder off of his desk and read the details and it seemed normal enough. Strange events happening in a small town and creatures coming out at night. At least one level two akuma like the last mission… in Russia. Youko had been doing the same thing Kanda had been. She thought of it often and she was convinced that she had leaned in first. But him saying that it was him didn't really help her any. She had kissed her comrade and-no matter how much she liked it-… _'Stop it Youko damn it!'_ she smacked herself in the head hoping to pound the thoughts away. Kanda snickered at her and followed her out of the room. So it was the two of them on a train for about a week… alone… with no one else there… ALONE… _'SHIT!'_ the exorcist with one year, three months, and twenty three days left before her worst nightmare thought.

* * *

**A/N: **Good guess, but no Savage Kill. There is no arranged marriage. ;P Still good try. Holy Shit! Komui and a clean office!? Not likely... but I guess that's why they call it fiction.


	5. Chapter 5

**Countdown**

**Chapter Five**

'_Damn it, this is harder than I thought it would be,' _Youko groaned to herself as they arrived at in the small inn just on the outskirts of town. It had been a six day travel and both of them were extremely tired. During the trip, Kanda wouldn't let Youko within five feet within another man on the train. He even looked as if he was going to bite the head off of the conductor… _'Poor guy…' _When she left his sight, his golem would follow Youko around until she came back to her seat. But she couldn't stay mad at the contraption forever; it was too cute. She glared at him every time they made eye contact, hoping to get her point across. Kanda helped her off of the train and walked beside her through the station until they arrived at the inn. And Youko had to say it was almost suffocating in a way. She slammed her bag onto the bed closest to the window and pet the wings of his golem that had taken its rightful place on her head.

"**What was wrong with you today? You seem different," **she said to Kanda as he closed the door.

He said nothing. The only thing that didn't seem normal was his posture. His head was hung down from its normal confident state and his hand was still on the door knob. His golem fluttered its wings and a soft buzzing noise could be heard in the room. An annoyed groan came from Kanda's direction as Youko stood and walked over to the ringing golem. Komui had terrible timing. Kanda was about to ask her what she was talking about that night six days ago. What she asked made him paranoid and that had been the reason for his actions. She said that she would go to the Asian Branch to fulfill her goal and that would mean what? Finding a husband? Not on his watch.

"**How is your stay so far?" **the scientist asked.

"**You mean the entire two minutes? It's been bearable," **Youko grumbled.

Kanda twitched at the statement. _'What is that supposed to mean?'_ he asked, fist clenching. After a few minutes of conversation between the two Kanda was already fed up with it. His palpable cough made her head turn quickly in his direction; a smirk evident on her façade. Komui broke in again with his usual high pitched sing-song tone. Youko would admit he did have terrible timing. The hopes of her trying to explain herself were shattered as soon as the cute creature started buzzing. The two had barely spoken to each other since she practically blurted out what she had to do. She didn't want to marry; she really didn't, at least not yet. There was too much energy inside of her, too any akuma to be destroyed, but far too little time for her to get out of this hell hole that she had dug for herself. The golem flipped onto the bed, probably still trying to recover from the voice of Komui running through his ears. She barely heard what he said, something about finders. _'Probably already on the way,' _she smirked.

"**Are you ready?" **his deep tone seemed to carry.

"**I guess we should get a view of the town before they come out."**

"**You sound like you don't even wish to be here," **he commented, hearing the heavy sigh from across the room.

'_Spend all day with a man who didn't even give me one foot of breathing room…? _OR_ spend a day walking around shops and meeting other people…? Hard choice.'_

"**I just come to get the job done, so let's go," **she said walking to the door.

Should he stop her? Let her go? Why should he? _'Because I don't control her…' _But he did wish to at least be with her. And staying with her all day in a cramped hotel room would probably make her hate him more than what she appeared to. He held the door open and noticed that she was giving him a side stare. It wasn't like he never held the door open before, it was the attitude he did it in. Usually he seemed emotionless, uncaring, but now he looked as if he was happy? Maybe? Oh God she wished he hadn't seen that stare because as soon as her foot left the threshold the door shut and his chest was pressed to her back. So there they were standing in the hallway in a position that-was _very_ nerve-wracking for Youko-but Kanda didn't seem to show any tenseness. _'Damn him…' _she hissed. Taking a giant step toward the front desk, she glanced back at him, again, being noticed. He smirked at the pinkish hue on her cheeks but she just scoffed and continued on her way.

"**Don't get cocky. I feel like…**_ 'I need to catch my breath'_...**I have a fever."**

And with that being said they left to scope out the town. Usually textbook missions would be like that. Scout through the town, look for those who appeared suspicious, defeat the akuma, and go home. Four simple steps that Youko… _just _didn't want to follow. Once she was out of the building a quaint looking store was calling her name. Kanda didn't even notice that she was heading towards it until he heard her boots walking in the other direction. He was about to speak but bit his tongue knowing that she would do whatever she felt like doing. So the small brick building's door opened with a chime and a young man standing behind the counter looked toward his new costumers. The first one he saw was the young woman who seemed intrigued by the small trinkets in the window, and then there was the man who looked as if he had better things to do. Youko pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose again, glancing at a few bracelets on a counter.

"**Can I help you?" **he asked, mostly to the female.

"**I think I'll buy this for Lenalee," **she held up a think silver circlet.

He nodded and went to the register with her following. Kanda stayed near the door, fully ready to leave at any moment. She set the ring onto the wood and reached in her pocket and placed money on the table. Once the man noticed that Kanda wasn't watching he decided to make a conversation, fiddling with the paper bag like he was having trouble with it.

"**So is this for a friend, sister… daughter?" **he asked, hesitant with the last word.

He had to admit, the man seemed very protective and she looked almost old enough to marry. _'It's a possibility,' _he thought to himself.

"**A friend. That sounded like you were calling me old, but you seem like a nice man so I'll let it slide," **she giggled.

"**Well I didn't know if you and your boyfriend were-"**

"**He's not my boyfriend," **she corrected.

With that he felt a little more comfortable. Youko did whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. And Kanda had no say in it what-so-ever. _'I'm running out of time anyway. Might as well try it again,' _she inwardly sighed. A decent looking man with a decent job and probably a decent lifestyle all around. But that was the problem, she didn't want decent. She wanted-no-needed someone like her. Someone who did whatever they wanted, did what they loved without any embarrassment, and was spontaneous. But she would settle for anything at this moment. It was better than going to see her family-God that would be the death of her. Kanda heard the giggles, like he did every time she laughed. He walked over to the counter and nudged her in the arm. She jumped at his touch and looked at the cashier.

"**I will see you around I hope Mr.…?"**

"**Aoi. Aoi ****Torasuto. I was hoping to see you tonight actually. If your partner doesn't mind," **he glanced over at the protective male.

**"How about at eight thirty, I'll come by?" **she proposed completely ignoring Kanda's silent 'no'.

**"It's a date then," **Aoi smiled.

'_Date?' _Kanda thought. It was like that word played over and over in his head. Youko grabbed his arm and rushed toward the door. She had to get him out of there before he dropped dead from lack of oxygen. She saw his eyes widen the moment Aoi finished his sentence. Truth be told, she wanted to do the same thing. A date? It had been so long since she heard those words directed to her. She had given up most of her hope finding a husband about three years ago so when it came to men she was a complete blank slate. Out of her peripheral vision, she saw Kanda walking off so Youko hurried to join him. But after about five minutes he was still silent. _'Hm… I thought that he would nag at me for going on a date on a mission…' _she said to herself a little depressed that he didn't look the very least bit upset. Kanda looked up at the large clock tower in the town square. He only had three hours with her alone until she had to meet Aoi, or as he would have liked to call him 'Ass-hole Aoi'. But the plan so far was to scope out the small city and they were already doing that. Youko was clutching her brown bag in her right hand and she was staring into a crowd of townsfolk. Young women eyed her because of her choice of clothing. A dark cloak in June did sound a little impractical.

**"I hope one of them is the akuma…That way I can kill them without any guilt," **she grumbled, tired of hearing small whispers from the different crowds of women.

**"I don't think that was such a good idea," **Kanda blurted out completely ignoring her last comment.

**'_AH-HA!' _****"What are you talking about?" **she asked but was fighting back the largest grin ever known to man.

**"Going out with that man tonight, you could put him in danger," **he stated.

**"I think I can handle myself and my date,"** she breathed out the last word as if it pained her.

Kanda caught the gesture and cocked a brow. This was what he wanted to hear. She didn't like the idea at all so she could still back out of it. But he knew that she was far too stubborn to back out of anything and that was what probably got her into this mess in the first place. He was determined to find out what the hell she was talking about a week ago and he had a feeling that she was fearing the results if she didn't 'marry'. He hated that word when it implied to her. Youko definitely wasn't the marrying type. And to be blunt, no one was really her type either. The clock now read five thirty and Kanda had wondered where the thirty minutes had gone. It was almost like they hadn't even moved from there spot in the middle of the square. _'And where did all the people go?'_ he asked himself, noticing that the once crowded streets were bare. Youko had taken notice too because she had stopped dead in her tracks and was frantically searching the windows of buildings for any life. _'It's a little early for them to attack,' _she reassured herself. A thick fog seemed to envelope them and Kanda was searching frantically for his partner. He held his hands out and was hoping to find something in the haze. His hands rested on dark material and he moved his hands closer together and found that he was holding somebody's shoulders.

**"Whoever the hell you are, it would be best if you removed your hands from my person or I will snap them off at the wrists," **Youko snapped.

**"I'd like to see you try," **Kanda scoffed.

**"Are you saying I couldn't? Where did everyone go?"** she questioned.

**"Yes and I have no idea," **he replied, secretly liking the two conversation responses they were sharing.

Suddenly a large fist hit Kanda in the back and sent both of the exorcists flying forward. A wall _'broke'_ Youko's fall and the ground in front of her helped Kanda in the slightest way. His vision was still corrupted by the thick covering of clouds. The only thing that could be seen was a dark outline of a giant blob looking creature. Youko groaned out in pain because her head hit the bricks with great force. She was starting to get dizzy but managed to hold up until the fog dispersed, showing the busy streets of the town once again. Both pairs of eyes widened in shock as they took in the scene. Weren't the people gone? They had disappeared while they were walking to the clock tower…. didn't they? Kanda pulled himself up and searched frantically for…whatever hit them. It seemed rather large to be a person so that only meant one thing, akuma. So far this mission was going perfectly! Youko was having trouble standing, Kanda was brushing himself off, and all of the people in town seem to vanish in thin air… Normal in Kanda's case, but it was rather odd that he couldn't take it down the first time he saw it. Youko's head started spinning and she lost her balance. Luckily she had enough consciousness to stumble backwards instead of on her face. The last thing she saw was Kanda's figure rushing over to her.

* * *

Youko had been asleep for two hours, and he was starting to get worried. The brown paper bag that carried Lenalee's present was setting on the dresser and Kanda couldn't help but glare at it. There was some tiny spot in his mind that didn't want Youko to wake up within the last hour. He had it down to seconds. Fifty eight minutes forty five seconds; rather ironic don't you think? Him counting the moments until she would be free and her, the moments until as life-as she knew it-would be demolished. Not much happened for seven minutes…. Thirteen seconds, but who's counting? She stirred under the sheets and felt a hand over hers, which sent her flying upwards and searching for some kind of weapon. His other hand grabbed her shoulder and pushed her back onto the pillows. She calmed at the sight of his face, which surprised her actually. Of course she struggled to get back up, deciding to give him the same trouble he gave her back in Russia…. Damn, there it was again. _'I just had to remember that didn't I?'_ she scolded herself. 

**"Go to sleep. You need rest," **he commanded.

**"Ha! Where have I heard that before?"**

He scowled at that. She wasn't helping him at the moment. Russia still replayed in his head over and over whenever he saw her. Kanda stated that it was his fault since he did lean in first. _'She has to take some credit too,'_ he told himself, succeeding in making himself feel better about the situation. Even if it was only for about one second, she did kiss him back. But if you told her that she would have said that she pushed away as soon as it happened. She sat back up and dashed to the window before he could stop her. How she loved being stealthy! The curtains flung back showing the sun starting to disappear over the horizon. And with only forty five minutes before her 'date', she had just enough time to get there. She took a deep breath and skipped to the door. Kanda stared at her getting a small twitch in his left eye. Would he let her go on this 'date' that even he could see he didn't want to go to? Youko reached out to the coat rack near the door and snatched her cloak. Everything would go normally, well as normally as an evening with an exorcist could be. It was starting to get dark and she knew that her innocence would be at full power by the time she arrived. The doorknob clicked and she pulled it open but felt a little uneasy doing so. She strolled out and turned to the door giving a small smile to Kanda-that actually went unnoticed this time. After he was sure she was gone, Kanda rushed to the window and waited for her to emerge in the streets. _'I'll follow in about five minutes….. Maybe two.'_

**"Sorry. Am I late?" **the young woman asked Aoi as she approached him.

**"You did say eight, correct?" **she asked another question.

**"I closed early. And you are right on time, you seem to be the type to be overly punctual," **he chuckled.

That was true even if she hated that about herself. She was never late for anything and always in the room the exact moment asked. Lavi had asked her to meet him in the library at two o'clock one evening to help him look for a few books for old man panda. She waited outside of the open doors with the red head leaning out the doors staring at her until the second hand clicked onto the twelve. Youko walked in and greeted him like she hadn't seen him all day but he had been trying to get her to walk through those doors for about two minutes. Seeing how she handled this 'date' was going to be extremely interesting… at least to Kanda who was hiding in an alley way not too far from where the couple was standing. Truth be told, Kanda did think that Youko had overly compulsive disorder at times. Always perfect on timing, and whenever he would pass her room and sneaked a peak through her door (He's not a perv for those wondering what he was doing) everything would be spotless. That was only because she didn't have anything personal besides her clothes that were hidden in her dresser. But she disagreed, Youko was never a very tidy person because if you lived in the wilderness most of your life, would you be neat and clean twenty-four-seven…? Didn't think so… The two started walking and Aoi was talking about some sort of café or something. The following exorcist was too busy watching the man's body language. Aoi's arm was wrapped with hers and the other shoved into his pants pocket. Youko was fiddling with the edge of her skirt with her free hand; something Kanda knew when she was uncomfortable. _'That's good,' _he reassured. But all Youko was thinking was _'No-No-No-No- __NO!__'_ Aoi suddenly stopped and Youko jerked back slightly glaring back at him. No one was in the streets at this time and everything was quiet until a low growl was heard from Aoi's throat.

**"Oh shit… You've got-to-be kidding me right?" **she groaned, taking a few steps back so she could watch the transformation of the akuma, ready to strike.

Sure enough, Aoi did change from the blonde haired deep green eyed man to a bulky looking creature. Horns protruded his neck and dark green lines shot down the chest, turning into swirls at his abdomen. The light hue of purple tainted his skin and a wide toothy grin shot back at Youko's examining glare. _'Damn it! Out of all the descent men I choose a demon! Good going Youko, good going,' _she stated to herself. The verbal irony shooting through her brain lasted until one of the horns from his neck shot a web like string at her. A quick jump to her left solved that problem and she reached up and claimed her staff. Hebi Za Tenkan (Serpent of the Milky Way) would be her best chance. The white dust swept before her and a large serpent stood in her wake, almost pleading for a command. The staff nudged toward the direction of the monster and almost instantly her creature was gone; slinking across the grounds so quickly nothing could be seen. Sparks flew as the glittering teeth of Youko's snake clashed with the twisted horns of the akuma. Of course this wasn't going to be easy because the repulsing creature threw Youko's powerful friend onto the ground. Kanda saw Youko flinch when it crashed to the ground. Kanda drew his sword and ran to her side but before he could attack, she stopped him; blocking the path with her arm and giving a pleading look. She was a little disappointed, because one; she knew he was following them. And two; he didn't think she could handle herself. Trust was important on missions but he was showing none at all. Newbie or not, she knew him better than that. Grabbing her weapon with both hands, her lips made a fine line as if concentrating on something. Kanda watched as a large swarm of stars clashed with the serpent, sucking it back into the crystal wrapped in ebony. Kanda heard her deep breathing and felt the ground shift under his feet, but it was barely noticeable to the monster because, well, most akuma are too stupid to know any better. The water dragon shot through the ground, but again its path of destruction was obscured by the monster. It went flying into the trees and hit a tree with an ear shattering smack. Youko fought against the urge to let out a blood curdling scream and grabbing her side. She couldn't loose and she wouldn't! Her Innocence glowed and sent the serpent through back of the akuma and he fell forward. But she wasn't done yet. A loud scream of pain could be heard as the end of her staff plunged in his stomach**.**

**"I always pick the winners, don't I?"** she chuckled as she finally let her tired conscious take her over.

Kanda caught her and noticed that she had some scrapes but she never was hit directly. _'The hell?'_

* * *

It was about midnight when the female exorcist shot up from the covers and flinched at the sudden pain. She bit her lip as her hands went to her side and tried to feel for the damage. But it was wrapped up so she couldn't see anything. A dark silhouette sat on the other bed watching her and of course it could only be one man.

**"Why are you up?" **she asked, trying to avoid any replay point of Russia.

**"Waiting to ask you some questions," **he stated secretly _wishing_ Russia would happen again.

**"Ask away."**

**"I have three. One; Are you alright?"**

**"Yes," **she chuckled. **_'Why is he so predictable?'_**

**"Two; why didn't you let me help you?"**

**"Because I knew I could handle it myself," **she stated, feeling a little less humorous now.

**"Last one then. What happened to you?" **he asked moving closer to the bed.

**"Unlike your Innocence or anyone else's for that matter, I don't rely on physical strength as much. Mental ability is much more useful for my powers. But that doesn't mean that I don't get hurt as much. My pain is both mental and physical while yours is only one of those. And I must say, it-freakin'-sucks!" **she moaned.

Whenever Youko was hurt she would suffer from migraines for days on end plus all of the scratches and bruises. Her brain was what controlled her Innocence, not muscle. Sure that did help and she wasn't exactly a wimp either but if she didn't fully take control of her power through her mind, everything would crumble. That included the constellations, her staff, and her future plans. Which at that moment didn't sound so bad. Another wave of pain shot through her head and she hissed in pain. Kanda frowned and sat on the edge of her bed. She felt the shift and waved for him to fetch a damp washrag. When he came back she placed it over her eyes and sighed in relief as her head hit the pillows again. Kanda smirked and sat back down watching her.

**"I can practically ****_hear_**** your smirk! My eyes are aching, so please-" **but she was cut off when a slight pressure on her eyelids.

Kanda had lifted the cloth and kissed her closed eyes before placing the rag back. She was shocked but didn't move or say anything for the rest of the night. Oh yes, she was blushing and hoping that Kanda couldn't see that. But he was flushing too, so it didn't matter if she was. _'Could 'this' possibly work? No, no, of course not.' _But she did have onlyone year, three months, and seventeen days-oh excuse me, it's two minutes past midnight- sixteen days left… Maybe things would work out in her favor.


	6. Chapter 6

**Countdown**

**Chapter Six**

"**Kanda…"**

The dark haired man tilted his head toward the new exorcist who was setting on the windowsill, scowling at the people below. Youko was jealous that everyone could go out at night now that Aoi, the akuma, was gone. A couple was laughing with the woman clinging to the man's well toned arm. She recognized him as the blacksmith from down the street. They had been in Italy for a week and none of the finders had come yet. It was 'textbook', according to Kanda, that they waited for them to come and asses the situation. Whatever the hell that meant! Staying cooped up in a hotel room with Kanda would probably be very exciting for a fan girl, but Youko wanted to go out and see more of the town. She had never been to Italy before but her partner was making it so she couldn't leave his sight.

"**I'm bored! Can I leave? I promise I'll only be gone for five minutes," **she groaned and pleaded, but the man was stubborn.

"**It's late and too dangerous."**

"**Well it's a good thing my Innocence works better in the dark!" **she yelled storming off toward the door.

'_Oh great,' _Kanda said to himself as the door slammed shut. It was true and he would admit it, that he kept her in his sights at all times after that battle and she passed out. The windows were locked at all times and so was the door. But in a way he knew that she would just walk out anyway… I mean, it didn't take much to unlock a door, did it? Youko was kind of-well very- pissed off. _'He keeps me crammed in a small hotel room for a week while I watch everyone else in this-now safe-town live actual lives!'_ She had wanted to call Komui and ask what the hell was taking the seekers so long, but Kanda's golem had shied away from her. That was odd seeing as how it liked her more than her glum partner that owned it. At least five minutes was all she had before she knew that a tall, dark, slim man would come looking for her. A few bars were open so why the hell not go and have a drink. Maybe a few men would be awake at this hour-decent ones anyways. _'Worth a shot,' _she told herself as the wooden door swung open with the chime of a bell. The smell almost made her run back out but after the smoke stopped burning her eyes she made her way around the drunken smokers sitting at a nearby table and to the other side of the bar. A fat, white bearded, jolly man (No this is not Santa Clause) came down to her with a rag and mug in his hands.

"**Uh… Can I get you anything?" **he asked.

Yes it was very unladylike to come to a bar, but was Youko really ladylike in the first place? She decided to make a new friend and someone to protect her from those drunken bastards at the front table while Kanda wasn't there would be nice. And if she could maybe even get some help with her life.

"**A psychiatrist and anything strong," **she chuckled as the man grinned at her.

"**Well, here's your drink. Sorry but this town doesn't have any shrinks but I think I could be of some service," **he offered.

"**Sounds good to me," **she claimed as a large gulp of whatever drink he sat down in front of her.

It hit her like a hammer and made her eyes water as soon as it touched her tongue. It was her fault, she did ask for something group near the front had gotten a little louder and Youko watched as the man she was talking to rolled his eyes.

"**Happens every night; Just ignore them," **he sighed.

Even if she did it was hard to hear the bartender-whose name was the man gave excellent advice. He had far more insight than Lenalee, who was starting to scare Youko a little with her girly talk. No this information was coming from a man's point of view, and that was just what she needed. After a few minutes the drunken men had left and she was helping the man clean up for the night while still talking about personal experiences.

**"****_So_****, what you're saying is; I should talk to him about my 'problem' before it's too late?"** she stated grabbing two mugs in each hand and walking behind the counter with Toshihiro.

**"If you want things to end good… yeah."**

She groaned at that and placed the glasses in dishwater. He chuckled and gave her a pat on the back before returning to the mugs.

**"It will end better than you think. You're young so you have plenty of time."**

'_Wrong…' _one year, three months and nine days wasn't plenty of time. Being eighteen and only being able to spend your next birthday with a few friends before you had to leave and never see them again, would usually suck ass. And guess what, it does. Youko was starting to dry the glasses he had handed her when they heard the front door open and a tall figure in an all too familiar cloak stalked in. She nudged her new friend in the stomach and whispered "That's him," before turning back to the dishes. The man eyed him for a moment before handing her the last dish. It was almost like he was seeing if he was as good as she said he was.

**"He seems pretty pissed off," **he sniggered while turning to him.

Kanda had been walking around for about an hour trying to find her. But the rain started to come pouring down and he had to find shelter. The lights were on in the bar so he took his chances. The man wasn't in the mood to deal with drunks at this hour. The warmth engulfed him and the smell of smoke spread through his nostrils. He noticed the raven haired girl at once and saw that she was talking and washing dishes with a large-Santa-like man. Taking a seat at the bar he leaned forward until his arms rested against the counter. The man had eyed him before he sat down and said something to Youko before walking off to the back. She sighed and turned her head to look at him. Kanda was soaked and breathing hard since he had to run into the bar. She shoved her glasses back up the bridge of her nose and gave a heavy sigh.

**"I'm waiting for you to scream at me," **she said walking until she stood directly across from him.

**"Ch, I didn't come here to yell at you. But…" **he trailed off leaning over so that he was as close to her face without their lips meeting.

**"****Never**** do that again," **he finished and Youko saw something in his eyes that she hadn't seen before.

'_IS that relief I see? Or pure madness?' _she sniggered to herself. Jolly Old Saint Toshihiro walked back out and saw the two and nudged Youko in the arm.

**"You two should get back. And it was nice talking to you Youko. I hope you take what I said seriously," **he winked.

She smiled and said her goodbye and the two exorcists walked into the still heavy rain. She had pulled her hood up and they were now walking in silence. They had wandered farther from the hotel than they thought and it was a little past eleven when they noticed a nearby park and a small gazebo. Both decided that the rain was getting ridiculous so some minutes of dryness would be nice. Once under the wooden roof, the two stood five feet away from each other, each one nervous to look at the other. Kanda was the one brave enough to break the awkward silence… but not in the best way.

**"You are a liar,"** he said bluntly. (Youko: Twitch and anime sweat drop)

**"E-excuse me?"**

**"You were gone far more than five minutes," **he smirked.

She was about to retaliate when a large gust of wind caught each off guard and Youko's glasses slid off her nose and shattered on the ground. She grumbled something under her breath and bent down to picked the now glassless frames. Kanda had heard the shatter and glanced at her but she was already examining the problem. She looked so much better without glasses in his opinion and he had strolled over to snatch the broken spectacles from her unconsciously. _'No matter'_ she thought and reached into her jacket pocket to take out a pair of darker brown glasses. Kanda's mouth twitched trying to prohibit a smile to break his façade. _'This woman… is unbelievable…'_ She was smiling as the spectacles were about to reach her nose once again. Just before they reached her face she felt a pair of hands touch hers for a brief moment before the glasses were gone. Kanda had them and was grinning as he snapped the pair in half. The loud snap was matched by her gasp that caught even her off guard.

**"The hell!" **she screamed.

**"You don't need them."**

**"That doesn't give you the right to snap them in half!"**

**"They irritate me," **he stated.

He stalked out of the gazebo followed by a very angry new comrade. She stopped him in the middle of the damp path. Daggers shot out of her eyes and practically dripped with poison when she smirked at him. Her hair was sticking to her face from the water that showered down on her. It was dark now and the only one that gave light was the moon. Water droplets came down on Youko's face and some came down into her eyes. She shook her head to remove them but when she did Kanda had moved around her and had started to trudge back to the inn. She gave an irritated sigh and hurried after him. _'Did he really have to do that…' _she sulked as the rain seemed to pelt her harder. Once they made it into the room, she shivered as the warmth hit her. Of course she didn't remember her heavy jacket, typical… When she looked up, a towel was wrapped around her head and shaking violently. She let out a yelp of surprise and reached up to stop it. Her hands grabbed his on accident instead of the towel and time seemed to stop. Her hands shot back to her sides when she spoke.

**"S-sorry," **she stuttered through the towel, sounding muffled.

The cloth lifted from her head and his face was dangerously close to hers. He looked as surprised as she was but kept his gaze steady instead of shifting it like her. What would you do in this situation? The only thing Youko could think of was when Lavi go this close to her and that made her kind of nervous so Kanda and Allen pulled him off and threw him about fifty miles. But Allen wasn't here to help her and she couldn't even move her arm to do so. A crack of thunder made her jump and the only thing she could do was stand there. If she moved away-awkward. If she didn't-awkward. There was just no way she could win and that pissed her off. The only thing she hated in this world other than her family was failing. Bright light flashed through the windows and she could see that he wasn't about to move. Maybe he was that tired and just couldn't move… yeah that had to be it. She shifted her weight and tried to go around him but his eyes never left hers. His head was kept level with hers and that made her want to make a run for it but stay there at the same time. _'Too confusing!'_

"**Um… excuse me," **she said practically ripping her gaze away from his.

To be honest, Kanda wasn't even sure if what he was doing was right. Did he want to do it? Yes. But he was still trying to figure out her secret and so far that was uneventful. He asked Komui to do some research on her past while they were away but so far he had found nothing. Late calls in the middle of the night from the bathroom had been happening for about four days and each one was the same. 'She must have been more isolated than I thought. Nothing's come up.' He was Oh-So-Tired of hearing that! Did this woman ever do anything wrong? There was no way someone could be that perfect! She would wake up every morning and went for a walk that lasted for exactly half an hour. Then both would go for breakfast and since his pride and normal personality wasn't really talkative then nothing happened there. The two would spend all day doing absolutely nothing! That was why she had stormed out and it didn't surprise him at all. During his small self rant she spoke.

"**You owe me a new pair of glasses," **she sulked staring out into the rain-that had now reduced from a down pour to just a normal storm.

'**Ch…"**

"**Gods that pisses me off! First you keep me locked up in a hotel room, and then you break my glasses! What is your-"**

"**I keep you here for your own safety! Do you honestly believe I will let you out into this town by yourself?"**

She sat there agape for a moment. That had been the most he had ever talked to her since the night when she shouted that marriage thing at him. And she missed it. Sure this was a very different conversation but a conversation nonetheless.

"**What you don't think that I can take care of myself? Because Lavi and Allen could prove you otherwise! I kicked Lavi's ass more than I can count!" **she laughed while taking a seat on her bed.

"**I **_**know**_** them. I **_**don't know**_** the bastards in this town. If you think that I'm going to let my new partner walk around with a group of dogs following her you'd be wrong!" **he hissed his response.

"**New partner? That's not like you. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're taking a liking to me," **the smirk could be seen from across the world, he thought.

"**Maybe I have. You are the only sane one in headquarters and you stay out of my business."**

"**And you mine. That sounds about right."**

"…**..What did you mean two weeks ago?"**

"**Ah… let's not bring that up! J-just a slip of the tongue that's all."**

"**Tell me right now or I will force you to," **he glared.

"**Bring it on…**_**partner,**_**"** Youko smirked.

She actually liked being called his partner and even if he never admitted it-like _so_ many other things- he did too. He scowled and leaned down on his bed ignoring her challenge. He faced the ceiling but seemed to look straight through it. He would find out, if it killed him, what her secret was. And Youko knew that she had two choices. To tell him and face whatever reaction he had… Or not tell him and let him find out the hard way. He was sure to handle that one well… right? He was an exorcist after all. Death seemed to follow them wherever they went so separation wasn't as bad. But could she do that to him? _'No.'_

"**I'm going to miss you. But we've got a while before that happens," **she sighed crossing her legs and leaning down on her bed.

"**One year three months and nine days to be exact," **she calculated as Kanda's eyes widened in shock.

Before what happens? She couldn't leave, not after all they had been through. Rough mornings with Lavi and Allen tugging and pulling at her to get her to talk and Lenalee jumping her to go shopping every minute. And who had been there to save her? Kanda and she would always thank him and say that she owed him one. Now she owes him over fifty times and him two and that was for what had just happened. Everything was happening completely opposite of what he had wanted. _'It can't end in that short of time.' _But it had to, at least to her it did. Nothing could keep her from breaking a promise and she was just to proud to give up. A year and three months was enough time to fall in love right? (If she wasn't right now that is) The last thing she saw before falling asleep that night was Kanda getting up and going into the bathroom. He slid down the wall after the door was shut and clenched his eyes shut. This was definitely something to go on but he didn't have anything to go one besides a time limit. But if she had to leave the order, her friends, _him_? That would be murder but if she had to she must. And the only thing that Kanda knew, was that he had to get her out of this. NOW.


	7. Chapter 7

**Countdown**

**Chapter Seven**

There she sat, alone in a café late in the evening, about seven days after her return from Italy and now all she had was about three months and a year. Far too short. And the only one who knew about her time span was Kanda and he was pushing. Where will she be going? What will happen when time runs out? She would never let him know the last one. All she told him was that she had to go back to her family and he wouldn't see her for a _long_ time… Emphasis on the 'long'. She took a sip of her coffee as the band played its jazzy tunes. Sure she could have some espresso in the HQ's cafeteria but Kanda would be there again. At first she thought it was touching that he cared so much… Now it was just damn annoying. Couldn't a girl just have her secrets!? Lenalee must have been secretly dating Allen for about two years-at least that's the gossip in the science lab. As far as they know, no one knows about them yet. But I'm sure as soon as Komui finds out Allen will die a horrible death. Poor guy. Youko giggled to herself thinking about the horrid clean up after the brother's rampage.

"**That's good. At least I know you haven't lost you personality yet," **a familiar voice stated pulling a soft chair up to the table.

"**Why do you say that? Have I lost my soft touch, Lavi?" **she asked closing her eyes and lifting the cup to her lips again.

"**Ever since you came back with Kanda, you've been different. Second guessing yourself even. That's just not you. So I've come here to ask you something…"**

Youko looked at him from across the table. He looked almost dead serious and to be honest, that just frightened her. Lavi was her savior, Lenalee her spirit lifter, Allen and Timcampy her laughing buddy, and Kanda her… well she didn't really know what to call him right now. Seeing her savior like this was terrible. Maybe she did something offending to him? Though she had no clue how that could have happened since he didn't show any type of hurt in his eyes-it was more rage actually. The band changed to a softer jazz, one that was for relaxing and the darkness outside had finally settled in through the window. Fog was rolling in and it wasn't very uncommon for London this late in the evening but with Lavi very pissed off at the moment everything was foreign.

"**What did that bastard do to you?" **Lavi finished, snapping her out of the daze she had entered.

"**Wh-wh-what?!? N-no, he didn't do anything! I-I'm just a little tired lately a-and he knows something that I k-kind of didn't want him to," **she stuttered, trying to piece together a lie before any more questions were asked.

"**What did he read your diary or something?" **he joked and she was glad to see his softer side resurfacing.

"**No. I wish-and that doesn't mean I have one so if I find you snooping around my room, I'll snap your head off."**

"**So it's too deep to be written huh? Well, since we're here why not tell me?" **he asked, leaning forward so his arms rested on the table.

"**Too personal. Besides, I can handle it myself. It's getting late; I'll see you tomorrow alright."**

Youko started to rise from her chair and a waiter came to give her the coat she had checked. Lavi's expression was more than enough. Saying 'I'm disappointed that you won't tell me' without any words leaving his lips. Taking the last sip from her cup the exorcist left for the door. She turned around to wave at him while adding,

"**Oh, can you get this for me?-Thanks bye!" **she hurried before he could reject.

What was a few dollars out of the man's pocket? As long as she could get as far away from him as possible within the next few minutes. Street lights shown through the fog and Youko had no trouble following the sidewalk. But she didn't really know if she was going the right way. It would be nice to know the way out of the town by heart, just incase Lenalee or any other of her new friends found out about her problem and tried to stop her. She either had to leave early and quickly so that no one would know where she went, or make them her enemies. The second one sounded risky since she would probably get her ass kicked if she tried to fight them on her own-plus she couldn't even bring herself to fight them if she absolutely had to. She flicked her collar up to cover her neck since the cold wind had started to slip through her barrier. The jazz from the café was stuck in her head and she had to laugh at the image in her head. Black and white surroundings and a shady figure walking down the streets with the jacket hiding the face; how cliché! But the only thing that didn't fit was someone following said person, around corners and down alleyways… Definitely not Casablanca… And so after she was snapped out of that fantasy she was worried about this creeps'. She stopped and turned on her heel to come nose to nose with none other than her partner.

"**Stop following me," **she stated flatly.

The usual 'Ch' didn't come, but instead he actually _started_ a conversation!

"**What happens in a year and three months?"**

"**So you've been keeping track? That's sweet but how about I tell you when **_**I**_** want to."**

She turned around and kept walking but the footsteps were still clear behind her. Her pace quickened but not into a full run, more like a really pissed off stomp. The fog was still thick but she had no troubles getting back to HQ. Neither did Kanda. Empty hallways helped echo the sounds of calm and booming steps and she finally stopped midway to her room just to turn around and yell at him.

"**Stop it! I'll tell you when I want to!" **

"**That's not good enough!" **he spat back.

That had to be the first time Kanda yelled at her, **ever**. Her mouth was gaping open for what seemed like an eternity. _'Wwwwwwwooowwwwwwwww. I can't believe he cares that much,' _she said to herself. Now she was torn between to reactions. To slap him for yelling at her, or hug him for caring the way he did. Her back was facing him, but that soon changed when soft footsteps came from that hall. Each footstep created tension, whatever she was planning on doing she was making it very stressful to Kanda. He stood there, with his brows furrowed from frustration. This was too damn hard. Youko stood in front of him lifting her hand to rest on his shoulder. Her other pulled him in tightly and as fast as her actions were, Kanda amazing mirrored her embrace. And as quickly as it started, she left his warmth and landed her palm on his right cheek with an ear piercing crack. Her breath had quickened from the adrenaline of the last few seconds. Kanda's face had turned to the side from the force of the hand-on-face contact. Hair blocked the view to his eyes and her arm slowly lowered to her side. Through all of this, her glasses only lowered about a centimeter. Youko removed them from her nose and jerked out a small silky cloth from her jacket pocket. Her fingers laced with the fabric and traced circles over the lenses, removed any specks of dirt that had accumulated over the last few hours.

"**You're slipping. I suggest a vacation from this hell of a job you'd be more comfortable," **she recommended placing the glasses back on their rightful place.

"**I'm perfectly fine the way I am now."**

"**Following me around, asking numerous questions, and asking **_**other people **_**about me? You're perfectly fine with me knowing those things about you?"**

"**I just want you to stay here longer! You're my… Friend," **he hissed the word 'friend' practically killing him on the inside.

It tore her apart right then and there. Just friends… It's been over done in movies, sung about in lyrics to more than hundreds of songs, inscribed in romance novels that some only wished to be in to experience what the feelings of the character was like. But this was real far too real for her liking. A thunderous beating in her brain was killing her and she almost lost her balance. The silence that grew into awkwardness but it was broken by her breathy laugh. She brushed her hair back from her face and tried to redirect her line of vision. But she couldn't, as much as she wanted to-since tears gathered at the corners of her dark blue eyes-she couldn't. His eyes looked about as depressing as hers. But that couldn't be since she was just a… friend. The beating began again and this time it was in Kanda's head too. But this time almost completely shattered her. Walls came tumbling down, earth disappearing from under them… the list could continue. _'Just finish this,' _she thought sadly. And she did.

"**In a year and three months, I go back to my family…"**

"**Then I can still see-"**

"**But I'll have to do something I'll regret for the rest of my life. And I have to do it in front of my father," **she interrupted his hopeful realization.

"**What I have to do, it's not something I'll be proud of doing. But the bottom line is that you can never see me again. If you try to look for me, you'll never find me. If you write me, I'll never reply. If you try to call, I'll never answer. That's the gist of it," **she growled, feeling her words drop to the floor from the weight.

"**You've already told me that. I want to know what you'll regret, why I can never see or hear from you again," **he demanded recovering from her painful-yet useless-explanation.

"**I have to kill someone… Then go into-well let's just call it hiding," **and then she walked away-started to.

He stopped her by using his skills to come up behind her in less than a second.

"**Still not good enough. Who do you have to kill?"**

"**In a way, myself," **_'Liar,' _she said to herself

She sped up the stairs before any more questions were asked. She couldn't do this, so it was now or never. After slamming the door to her room she threw her bag on the small bed in the corner. Grabbed five pieces of parchment and some envelopes and sat down with a silver pen in her hands. Writing them only took a few minutes since she had been planning on what to say on her way back to her room.

* * *

Kanda had sulked back up to his room. Friend? You're my 'friend'?! What the hell was that?! Even he didn't know. Now that he knew what Youko had to do, would she not even think about her past time here and just leave after a year and some change? His bed creaked as he sat on it. The amount of information and drama he had taken in this evening was tiring. His hand lifted up to his face that was still stinging from-what Kanda thought of as-a sign of affection. His vision blurred as heavy eyelids started to pain him from all the nights of staying awake, hoping to catch Youko in case she decided to sneak out for the night. Perhaps out to the gardens. She hadn't been there in a long time; he even waited for her a few times, but hours of loneliness started to sink in and realization struck. She wasn't going to come, not after how he let his curiosity take him over. The night finally took him over and he was in a peaceful sleep before a soft tap came from his door and the sound of slow footsteps going to the exit of the Black Order. There were four other soft taps on doors before she finally reached the large doors that could lead her out of this crazy, different, fun, happy… _'Damn it stop! It's over,' _she sulked as the doors silently opened and shut behind her. This was going to be the last time Youko Shirogane set foot on the grounds of the Black Order HQ. As far as she was concerned the year three months was up and she had to go home.

'_We were only friends in the end right?' _she repeated herself for about the seventeenth time that night.

* * *

**Lathya and Soulless Ghosty… You guys are the coolest! Thanks for the feedback. It's what keeps me writing! Hope you guys like this chapter. I think it's shorter than my others and I'm really sorry if it is. And I'm sorry I haven't updated in like forever!**

**PLEASE REVIEW! I love feedback! XP**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:**** Sorry this one is late. I haven't been feeling that peppy lately so sorry if this one isn't the **_**best**_** chapter you've read. *Coughs sickly* ;(**

**Countdown**

**Chapter Eight**

_Kanda,_

_There is only one way I can say this and it still kills me… so here it goes. I'm sorry. I know that that isn't what you wanted to hear, especially this early, but it's time I left. People finding out about my past and my assured future, it's just something I can't handle. You've been told more than anyone about it but I feel I've said too much. It's been fun, and I hope your garden stays beautiful. I wish I could see it again, but who knows? Maybe the place I go to will have one just as beautiful, I wouldn't know since I had never been to the place I'm going… Wherever that is… Do me a favor, sort of a last request from me before I go, DON'T kill Lavi, please._

_When-and if-we do meet again, I'm sure everything will be just they way it was supposed to be. You've made my stay at the Order pleasant and you're the only sane person in that building. But I don't want to beat around the bush anymore. What I've been trying to force myself to beat out of my mind is this. Don't look for me, don't think about me, and don't remember me. Time heals all wounds-but to be honest-it's not easy. I've never thought of you as only a friend. You were something more, but I understand why you only thought of me that way. You're strong and I know that someone better will undoubtedly come along. Forgive and forget me._

_Youko_

It had been an entire day without Youko and this was Kanda's seventh time reading his letter. Lenalee, Lavi, and Allen had gotten theirs. She was even kind enough to write one to Komui and she even apologized to everyone in the Order in his letter. Saying how she apologized for wasting their time, but everyone took it harder than what she would have expected. Lenalee had locked herself in her room and not even Allen had enough courage to check on her. Lavi sulked in the library removing and looking over the books she had read with him in their spare time. Allen hadn't eaten anything all day and was staring at her coffee cup in the cafeteria. Komui actually started to clean his office but when he saw her file he shoved it back in the drawer and went out somewhere. Reever and his team did nothing all day and just sat around an old table remembering when she first came their and Johnny knocked over a vial of explosive gel they had been experimenting on. Youko tugged him back and they flew back and broke the table in half, so it now had a large crack in it. For repair all they did was put tape over it, since the amount of money was limited. Kanda had gone to the gardens and was looking at the spot she had sat last time they were there together. Whenever the hell that was.

"**Kanda?" **a voice broke the distraught silence.

He looked over his shoulder knowing exactly who it was. The one he wasn't supposed to kill because she asked him. The red-head walked closer to him, hands shoved into his pockets and tears streaking down his face. Kanda looked away, worried that his own would show.

"**What are you doing here?" **Lavi asked with a hit of anger in his voice.

"**Something I was told not to."**

"**And that would be?"**

"… **Remembering," **he sighed.

"**Shouldn't you be going after her!?" **the future bookman screamed grabbing Kanda by the collar of his uniform.

"**She told me not to."**

"**I'm sorry? What did you say? You are taking orders from her!?"**

"**Yes. I will respect her wishes," **he said stalking off after Lavi released him.

"**You bastard! You won't look for her, even for the rest of the Order? You probably don't know this, but you weren't the only one who cared about her! We were her friends too!"**

That stopped him, but only for a second. Damn it, why did this happen to him? He made his way through the trees and bushes listening to Lavi's screaming voice drown out the farther he went. The long hallways had only a few finders and every now and then they would walk by and glance at him. Allen had left the cafeteria and left her old cup on the table and when he saw; Kanda went in and took it with him. The saying still made him smirk, and he didn't think that would ever change. Perfect description of the most pleasant lady he had met in… well forever. Komui was coming back from town and noticed the sulking exorcist.

"**Kanda, would you like to talk? I think it would be best if we did."**

"**Ch."**

But Kanda followed, none the less. The man was his boss and maybe he would give him a mission to take his mind off of her. But that's highly unlikely. The large door shut behind him and the teen made his way to the couch in front of the desk. Komui stood behind it and sat down in his chair, his blue and pink mug hadn't been filled in hours, and so it was almost scary not seeing it up to his face. The room almost felt deadly from the coldness. But to him every room felt like that since he woke up this morning.

"**Did you know that Youko didn't want to come here? Our finders had to take her by force."  
**

He clenched his jaw, but forced himself to stay seated. Making her do something she didn't want to? Did he really do that? Ask them to bring her here with any means necessary? Kanda kept his eyes focused on the man, who was now gazing at a few papers he had left on his partially clean desk.

"**She finally calmed down after a few hours," **he said casually, making Kanda want to kick his ass.

He could say something that horrible right in front of him!? Of all people!? The older brother was dead serious and you could easily tell from his tone. In now way was he joking and he didn't look like he would be anytime soon. This was not supposed to happen to him anyway. He thought that she would stay longer; at least that was what she told him. Then realization struck, she had lied to him. So did that mean she lied about everything else? How she didn't want him to follow or look for her? Kanda left the room without another word. This little talk that they had was making him over think things. But in a way it all made sense. Komui watched his retreating back sulk into the hallway.

"**So are we going or what?" **Allen asked appearing at the bottom of the stairs.

"**Going where?"**

"**To find her of course! Lenalee and Lavi have started to narrow her location," **the boy smiled.

"**Stay out of it. Leave her be. You probably won't find her anyway."**

The teen made his way up to his room, leaving Allen shocked that he really didn't want to help. Kanda's room was dark and cold, it was around eleven at night and his room seemed even more depressing then what it used to, before he met her. But if she did lie to him, then was everything a lie? No, whenever they spent time together in the gardens she would always laugh, and usually people don't laugh while they're lying. So she only lied one time. One time too many in his opinion…

* * *

Youko must have looked back at the Order about ten times from the town square before she finally got to the outskirts of the town. It _had_ to be this hard, didn't it? He was a friend, and she had traveled everywhere just _trying _to find that one man who was more than a friend. But of course life had to go against her. So she had to leave, her home was about five days away and this time she wouldn't be leaving, no matter how much she wanted to. Her family was less than pleasant so it didn't bother her to leave in the first place. Her mother was dead and had been since she was about six, but her father had just die recently and now her aunt and cousin were taking care of the household… plus the deal she had made with her father. A rain drop trickled down her cheek; at least she thought it was a rain drop. What else could it be? She wasn't upset was she? No, he made it perfectly clear that he didn't care. Wasting her time was something she didn't want to do anymore. She had things to do, stuff to _not_ do, and well practically all she had to do was die. At this point that would actually make her life happy.

* * *

"**Damn her," **Kanda groaned as he lifted himself from his bed.

She was making him do this. It was one in the morning and she probably wouldn't stop to make camp so he already lost a days travel. He would have to work harder to catch up. No one was awake so that meant sneaking out wouldn't be a problem. Shoving the letter in his pocket, he shoved the door open and looked around, only to see three faces staring at him. All with hope in their eyes and ready to leave.

"**Go back to sleep," **he ordered shoving them apart so he could get by.

"**We want to help," **Lenalee said cheerfully.

"**I'm going alone. I don't know how she'll react."**

"**But-"**

"**Let him go," **Komui's voice bounded through the hall.

Kanda raised a brow but continued on his way, pulling the exit door open and slamming it shut. He was going to find her if she wanted him to or not. He stalked down the streets determined to find her again, and if she reacted the way he thought she would then… well let's say things will get a little interesting.

* * *

**(Four and a half days later)**

She was almost there. About noon-she predicted-was when she would see her home again. Town after town she saw the young men and women eyeing her and some asked where she was headed. 'It might as well be hell,' she always smiled back. Did she care anymore? No. She had thought so much about for a while and everything would turn out for the best. _'Of course it will. It won't be much longer now anyways,' _she thought before a loud noise was heard from behind her. It was far off but she could determine that it was yelling or screaming. Someone was calling her, but she didn't have time. Youko glanced back for a moment deciding to at least give the person _some_ acknowledgement. But she ended up doing a double take, seeing who she thought she would never see again. Eyes widened as she watch him come closer but then her mind snapped back and she took off. She didn't look back, but what if this was a hallucination? She could be running for no reason at all, but this was no time to take chances. But he was just as fast as her, so it was useless to try and get away. Once he gained on her she turned towards him and got one last look before disappearing in the cloud of white dust that came from her staff she had summoned while running. Then she said something that seemed to drain her energy.

"**Give up," **she chocked.

Kanda reached out, hoping to grab her before she completely vanished. But he ran through the haze unsuccessful.

"**Damn it," **he swore running down the path hoping to see her walking again.

Next time, he _would_ catch her. He needed to talk some sense into her-which, to him, at this moment she clearly lacked.

'_She's making it a lot harder for me to tell her my feelings…'_

* * *

**A/N:**** Sorry for the wait. Like I said, not feeling well.**

**Thank you ****Savage Kill****, ****Soulless Ghosty****, ****MusicianOnCrack****, ****Lathya****, ****Clarissa Avila****, and ****StarlightEclipse22****! You are all awesome! XD Keep reviewing because I love feed back! Plus I hope none of you feel sick like I do… EVER! ;(**


	9. Chapter 9

**Countdown**

**Chapter Eight**

After the run in with Kanda, Youko didn't slow down for anything. _'How the hell could he find me anyway?' _She mentally slapped herself after asking that question. He probably snuck into Komui's office and looked in her file. It must have said where they found her, which wasn't very far off from her home in the first place. The closer she got to home the more fear built up inside of her. Of course she did go because she had to, It's not like she was going anywhere with her old life. Shuddering at the thought of her 'old life' the exorcist started to wonder what her new life would be like. Was it really like what people described it in books? _'Highly doubt it,' _she inwardly sighed. Things like this didn't happen often. In the horizon, Youko saw smoke rising in an all too familiar place. There it was, peering over the hills, her old home… Hell itself. High pitched nasal noises filled her ears as two horses sauntered to her. The dark brown creatures both had tall, sidesaddle riding, female passengers. One was in her late forties, grey hairs standing out from her dark brown pinned back hairdo. Her dark blue gown was embroidered with white flower petals and sparkles. The other, was blonde a teenager about two years younger than Youko. Her bright pink dress was similar to the other woman's. Both wore gaudy golden jewelry. And their makeup looked caked on. It seemed to take away from the pointed noses, chins and awkwardly shaped brows.

"**Cho, Sachi," **she nodded in each direction.

Yes, she knew them. She was even related to them. Her cousin and aunt; both ugly mean and everything else unpleasant under the sun.

"**What is something like you doing here? And so soon?" **her cousin, Cho's, voice sounded foul and nothing else could compare to it.

"**You still have a while but it seemed he knew you were coming. He's already made himself comfortable," **Sachi spoke down toward the cringing girl.

The thought made her hair stand on end but at the same time she wanted to know who it was. The only time she had seen _them_ was when she made the deal with her father. Grey skin, crosses across their foreheads, yes that's right. A Noah was in that house. Each one more frightening than the next, some were dead now but that didn't matter. Youko would rather spend fifteen years with Cho and Sachi than with one of them. _'I hope it's not the fat one…' _she prayed. He freaked her out with that continuous smile. As she came up to the house with the horses sauntering beside her, she saw a shadow in the window. A top hat and curly hair sent a sigh of relief to push pass her lips. The door slammed against the wall and Youko came strutting in pushing her glasses up.

"**Well, well, well. If it isn't Tyki Mikk. Back from the pits of hell so soon?"**

"**Still as rude as ever. Yes, the Earl told me that you gave up the time limit. I think your father would be dancing… if he still could that is," **the dark man chuckled, crossing his legs while sitting in the dark blue bergère.

The home that Youko knew wasn't there anymore. It was replaced by a nicely furnished house, but that wasn't really a surprise since she knew that the Millennium Earl probably took good care of the two devils she called relatives. Her cousin shoved her out of the way to go and suck up to the Noah. Sachi had snarled at the young exorcist and continued through the house and into the kitchen. Once Cho was done throwing herself at Tyki, she joined her mother to make some tea for the dark haired man. But he just stared at Youko for a moment and once he was sure they were alone he stood and took a few cautious steps to her.

"**I'd ask why you gave up so early but I can tell. You're still wearing the glasses. My dear****, men would throw themselves at you if you'd simply trash those retched things."**

He came closer and she bit her lip. Can't he just get it over with? _'No, of course not. He's a Noah after all.' _Her hand flew up and almost met the side of his face when she stopped it. Yes she knew what she was doing and she had to stop herself. She _was_ going to see a lot of the man anyways. It would be best not to anger the man. But it would be hard to kill her after this right? I mean, her father and the Earl _did _have an agreement. Youko's uncle would take care of her and never let anything harm her… what a loud of shit! Her uncle-well her father's 'brother'- said the she was not fit to live in the ark with the other Noah….. Yep you guessed right, the Millennium Earl is Youko's uncle. That was absolutely not good news because she had been in the Order so maybe they would kill her. _'Thank god!' _she exclaimed to herself. Actually what her father promised was that she would serve them and her uncle hadn't made it clear if he would help turn her into a wretched Noah or just put her in a maid outfit and set her to work cleaning. The young woman couldn't help but cringe at the thought. She had freakin' Innocence for god's sake… Which they would probably destroy in a heartbeat. _'Oh wait, they don't have hearts so it might be faster than that.' _After all these years she was finally starting to see the possibilities and none were very promising.

"**What does 'uncle' want to do with me? Help him arrange hats all day? Or perhaps kill sweet little children playing in a schoolyard?" **the young one spoke with a smirk tugging at the edges of her mouth.

"**Since your powers are helpful we decided to go with the transformation," **he forced a smile.

"**Oh **_**joy**_**. Well let's just get this over with shall we?" **sarcasm coating her every word while she glided out the door.

There was only one way to do this and that was to rid the human of her body so the Noah gene could take over. So this was her future… She would become a Noah, a traitor to this world and all of the friends she had made, _and_ Innocence would fall into the wrong hands. _'What a great day. First my heart was broken now my life has pretty much ended,' _she couldn't help but laugh at herself. How could she be so stupid? The deal was for her to marry and live a normal life instead of using her powers to help people or not marry in the amount of time she had and help the dark side. They had walked around her old home and into the family graveyard surrounded by an iron fence and little white lilies littered the ground. White lilies were her least favorite flower. The symbol of death which actually seemed appropriate for the occasion. A small smile graced her face as she stood before two tombstones. One carved her mother's name the other her father's but she kept staring at her mother. Tyki let out an aggravated noise and ushered her to get it over with.

"**You can't wait to see me die can you?"**

"**Not really…" **he trailed off, thinking of what it would be like _not_ to resurrect her and provoke her Noah gene.

The small glisten of light that came from her choker sent stardust shooting outwards and it circled her. Youko contemplated whether or not she should make this painful or just get it over with. She probably wouldn't feel pain again anyway so why not go through death once? **Fenikkusu** **Shimekiri (Phoenix End) sounded perfect. '****_The symbol of virtue and grace is going to take out the most miserable, pathetic, sorry excuse for a human.' _****Actually that didn't seem so bad. The wind picked up as the dust swirled above the headstones now forming a familiar shape. Dust changed the colors of a rainbow and soon her fate stared her in the face with a gaze that almost made her feel sorry for herself… ****_almost_****. Tyki watched with his arms crossed wishing that he could get this over with to play poker with his human friends. Her cousin and aunt, being the monsters that they were, waited in the kitchen window, staring at them wide-eyed. Cho's nose was high in the air and her jaw was clenched showing that she couldn't wait to see what was going to unfold.**

**"Finally," ****she breathed.**

**Her day had been terrible since she figured out that her plan for the last few years had gotten her nowhere. It was simple-be nice, ****_try_**** to flirt, and get a freakin' guy! Was what she did not good enough? Well actually she'd admit that she had gotten ****_much_**** closer to Kanda than anyone else she tried to pursue. Her only regret was that she would be leaving so many new friends. ****_'_**_You're my… Friend'_ his voice played in her mind as her powerful creation flew swiftly toward her body. The sharp beak seemed more frightening now than it did a moment ago. Perhaps she wanted to stay and at least see if she could change his mind… '_Well its too late for that,'_ but her last thoughts were of her new friends at the Order. She wondered if Komui's office will ever be spotless for more than a few minutes before he lost control and trashed it again, she wondered if Allen and Leenalee would ever get a grip and tell said office trasher, she wondered if Lavi would give up trying to become a bookman like he had confessed to her. And she wondered if Kanda would listen to her final wish and not kill Lavi-that one made her smirk a little. Of course he would, he always did what she asked him to. Except leaving her alone of course because he always managed to find a way around her protective walls and pester her until she caved. Well that's what it seemed like anyway. She knew it was coming… any second now… anytime… soon… _'The hell?' _she asked herself. Youko's eyes had closed while thinking about her past and the light pierced her eyes as she pried her lids open.

"**H-Holy shit! Kanda! What are you doing here! How did you find me!" **the young woman screamed, but he didn't answer since he was too focused on pushing back her Phoenix.

Her head snapped around toward the window where her evil family once stood but they were gone, already running out the door to see what was happening. Tyki's bored façade was replaced with a smirk but his eyes seemed to portrayed astonishment as did Youko's. Her powerful creature faded and Kanda lowered his weapon and turn toward her panting and with dirt smudged on his face. The two stared at each other for a moment before Youko's anger got the better of her and with five steps her hand collided with his cheek with a satisfying smack. Tyki stood and watched them stare each other down while Cho and Sachi shouted and asked what the hell was going on. They swept across the graveyard, no animals stirred, and the dreadful silence that took place was haunting. The young woman stood glaring darts at the man who saved her life. _'He has some nerve coming here!' _Without thinking she lashed out again, but this time keeping any physical contact out of it.

"**You are a fucking IDIOT! Why would **_**you**_** risk your life to save **_**me**_**! Did I even ask for you to help! ****NO!**** Because I don't need someone coming to save me all the damn time! I can take care of myself! I am NOT a damsel in distress, so you can just-"**

"**You are **_**THE**____**MOST**___**irritating, stubborn, confusing, sarcastic woman I have ever met, damn it!" **the young man cut her off, causing her to gasp and take a step back.

Okay… now she was pissed. Her brows furrowed as she started to lift her hand to make his left cheek match the coral red tint of the other. But seconds before it made contact, his hand reached up and snatched hers to pull her closer. His eyes softened, taking in some humor from her enraged features.

"**And I love every minute I spend with you."**

Youko's eyes widened and her mouth hung open with disbelief. Was this seriously happening? She sputtered nonsense syllables and took a double take at her relatives and the Noah, who had been standing there the entire time, watching this event unfold. Tyki didn't fight, if he wasn't ordered to, then he wouldn't. His job was to help convert Youko into a full-fledged Noah, not kill any exorcists he saw. If he did, the Earl would surely have some sort of fit and possibly punish him for not obeying orders. Plus he kind of felt happy for her. (_Awwwwwwwww!_) The man also didn't really want her in the Ark anyway, He only met this woman a few times, but he couldn't stand her! But he was happy… That he wouldn't see her again.

"**Tyki… I don't think I'll be needing your services anymore," **she stated, her mouth still gaping at Kanda's last statement.

Tyki tilted his hat and disappeared in his swarm of Tease but not without sending a threatening smirk towards the male exorcist. That was a message, saying that next time they met, he would surely kill him. Cho and Sachi stood dumbfounded, clutching each other and trembling. Youko glanced at them and rolled her eyes. Kanda was still staring at her with the same eyes he had a moment ago. Dark and soft, and Youko felt the blood rush to her face. Her eyes darted to find anything to focus on besides him, but it was harder than she thought. A smirk finally made its way to his face and he lowered her hand and tugged her toward the path away from the small home where her cousin and aunt lived.

"**Let's go home."**

Her eyes were about as big as dinner plates. Let's replay what just happened; she ran away from the Order after being heartbroken, then she went to her old home, she almost became a Noah, and Kanda saved her and blurted his feelings… _Yeah_ that sounds right, but… WOW… Kanda held her hand the entire way back, and she looked like a child being tugged behind her father. When they walked into the gates of their town, Youko had contemplated many things. One, she should be ready for a party when she came through the doors, and two, everything that she had thought when she left had completely been turned around all because of eight words. She stopped in her tracks in front of the park and Kanda felt her resistance. His head snapped around and eyed her with suspicion.

"**Why did you come for me?" **she asked, taking a sudden interest in the pavement beneath her.

"**I love you," **he said quickly.

What surprised her was how easily it came out. The hard, rough, careless man she had become friends with actually said that he loved her. Kanda took her hand again, and soon they were marching down the halls of the Order. Youko knew he wanted to get the party over with, so she hurried to keep up. But her mind was reeling these past days had been a blur all of the sudden. And during the entire storming-off-and-almost-getting-killed sequence she hadn't once actually voiced out her feelings on anything. Not about him, not about her deal with her father, nothing… The cafeteria doors were a few yards away and Kanda had slowed down, making it take as long as possible to reach the explosion of confetti and streamers that would soon bombard the two. Youko's shaking hands reached up and stopped him in his tracks and turned his face toward hers.

"**I love you too."**

Yes, Komui, Allen, Leenalee, Lavi and everyone else was watching from the now partially cracked cafeteria doors. Youko closed the gap between them and that was when Bookman slammed the door shut and everyone in the room let out noises of disappointment. Meanwhile, Kanda and Youko were both smiling into the kiss after hearing the sound of their unhappy co-workers. Her hands brushed his shoulder and wove around his neck while his circled her waist. It was a loving kiss; this one would be considered their first kiss since the first two didn't really count. Youko was either unknowing or tired before but extremely confused after. The doors slammed open and there was a cartoon like explosion that sent the two away from each other and be surrounded by workers and friends. Youko gave a nervous laugh at the glares she was receiving but they soon turned into smiles once they saw that she was perfectly fine. Her new lover pushed the people aside and helped her into the party keeping pestering people away and she thought it was cute that he was being so possessive. A few hours into the party though, Youko went to talk to Jerry and the young man stood against the wall thinking if she would accept his offer later tonight.

'_She has plenty of time now,' _he thought, gazing at the top of the dark velvet box that Leenalee had handed him in secret during the party. Both Youko and Kanda would sneek glances at each other during the festivities, and-even if they thought they didn't-_everyone _noticed. As they two started to move through the crowd towards each other, stopping every now and then to speak with someone else. Finally the two met in the middle, and looked around with careful eyes as they contemplated a plan of escape. Soon they found it. Every three minutes Komui would call the attention of all of the members, and like idiots they would all turn to see what was needed to be said-that was their opening. And like clockwork the two had slipped out of the two doors and jogged down the hallway, the sound of the party drowning out as they moved on. Kanda had taken the liberty of leading Youko to her room, knowing that she must be tired of traveling after this fiasco. As he had reached for the door knob she could see the young man turn towards the stairs, _'That won't do at all.'_

"**Would you like to come in Kanda?"** she asked, pushing the door open while looking over her shoulder.

He wouldn't say no, and oddly he knew this was going to happen. The man pivoted in his spot and followed her into the now lit room, shutting the door behind him. She had spent some time collecting things for her room before she left, and everything was still in place. Youko's tea cup was placed on her desk next to a container of gyokuro. Her small electric burner sat in the corner, commonly used for said tea. Komui had sewn up some cushions for her bed and the shocking white seemed odd against the dingy walls of the Order, but she couldn't complain-they _were_ extremely comfortable. Her wooden table was accompanied by two chairs, in which one she sat. Kanda was asked to join her, as she poured her favorite tea into cups. The two were interrupted by the soft taps coming from her wooden door, but Youko wasted no time to open it.

"**Oh, Komui-san," **she opened the door wider, letting the tall man inside.

He nodded to Kanda but turned his stern gaze to the young woman, who was still standing by the door. She knew this might happen…

"**Komui-san, I apologize for my actions. I know that leaving the order and seeing family members is frowned upon but I assure you my trip was in no way a personal one. I-," **and she was cut off by Komui's smirk.

"**What trip?" **he asked, taking a glance over his shoulder at the nervous man at the table.

Youko was shocked as the door was taken from her hands and clicked shut.

"**I can't believe that just happened," **she breathed returning to the table to pick up her cup.

Kanda watched her as she moved across the room. Her jacket had long since been discarded and she was now suggesting he do the same when her fingers edged inside and pulled the material off of his shoulders. He shivered at the cold that pricked at his skin, but sighed when her warm hands covered his shoulders in place of his coat. Kanda's head lulled back so that he could see her hypnotizing blue eyes glittering down at him. As her lips grew closer to his, his eyes lulled and Kanda barely comprehended the soft 'thank you' that passed her lips before they touched his. It was innocent enough until his fingers itched to touch her skin. Youko was having fun because she knew that he was panting for physical contact. _'I'd like to see him try-Ah!' _and the next thing she knew the wall collided with her back and Kanda was biting her neck in a frenzy. He was busying himself with the ties around her corset at the moment when her hands tugged his hair free of the tie. She scratched her way down his back to clutch the bottom of his shirt to tug it up his back, feeling every scar on her travel. His shirt hit the wall across the room, as she was disgusted with the item at the moment. Lips trailed down his cheek, neck and onto his marked chest. Kanda had been successful in untying her shirt, and was in the process of sliding it off when the door crashed open again, and the head of the Order poked his head inside.

"**By the way Youko-chan, Leenalee wanted me to… Ooooooooh I'm sorry~,"** Komui sang as he disappeared from the doorway.

Kanda couldn't help but chuckle as he left the woman for a moment to close off the room to the rest of the building again. He turned around and almost instantly dropped to his knee at the sight. Her smiling face was framed with her dark hair and her lips were swollen from their fierce kissing. Youko had been almost shirtless but all he could see was her smiling eyes and hear the light tone of her laugh. He reached her in two steps and held her hands to his chest. Kanda's knee came in contact with the floor and he reached into his pocket for the velvet box. Youko gasped as he opened it before her. The simple white gold band held one diamond in the center but it was enough to cause tears to appear in the corner of her eyes.

"**Youko, will you marry me?" **and those were the words he had never imagined himself saying.

She took one hand and wiped her eyes, while letting out a strangled laugh.

"**K-Kanda Yuu, being t-tied down?"**

"**I'm not sure if that's an answer,"** he smirked, realizing that this might be the oddest thing she has ever seen him do, and that was saying something.

"**Yes!"** she giggled and hiccupped as she pulled him upwards, tossing the ring box aside as she kissed him. Youko wrapped her legs around his waist and wadded her hands in his hair as she kissed him. He chuckled whilst returning to her neck, traveling lower to the newly presented skin. Youko turned to fumbling with his pants buttons, finally settling to rip them apart and tearing at the fabric. She was going to like the time she spent here…


End file.
